The Montroy Series: Plea Bargaining and Youth Clients: Making the Process Developmentally Informed

The same developmental vulnerabilities that can lead adolescents to make choices that land them in the justice system can also hinder their decision-making process in court. An accumulating body of research suggests that youth commonly make uninformed pleas—often because of developmental immaturity. This presentation will begin with an overview of the recent advances in adolescent developmental science, focusing on teens’ decision making in social and emotional settings. We will then present a framework for applying developmental science to plea bargains in juvenile and criminal court. Utilizing developmental science in the plea context can support youth understanding and decision making while ensuring entered pleas are legally sufficient. To register, click here.

Dr. Emily Haney-Caron is an Assistant Professor of Psychology and Director of the Youth Law & Psychology Lab at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She holds a JD and a PhD in Clinical Psychology from Drexel University, and she completed a pre-doctoral clinical internship at Brown University Warren Alpert Medical School. Her research, scholarship, policy work, and teaching are all focused on the juvenile legal system, with a primary goal of contributing to system reform to increase racial justice and improve the system’s developmental appropriateness.  Dr. Haney-Caron is a licensed attorney in Pennsylvania and a licensed psychologist in New York.

Dr. Erika Fountain is a developmental and community psychologist whose work lies at the intersection of research, policy, and practice in juvenile and criminal justice. She received her Ph.D. in Psychology with a concentration in Human Development and Public Policy from Georgetown University and is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Her research program includes projects examining plea bargaining, systemic and structural barriers to probation compliance, family engagement, and racial inequities in juvenile justice. Her work also explores how developmental science can inform evidence-based justice policy. She has provided scientific testimony to Maryland legislators considering changes to juvenile jurisdiction, the confidentiality of records, and legal protections in youth interrogation and has co-authored op-eds advocating for developmentally informed reforms to youth justice. From 2022 to 2023, Dr. Fountain will serve as an APA Congressional Science and Technology Policy Fellow in Washington, DC.