“We all know that little kids have that magical thinking where superman exists and people can fly around the world and things like that,” he said. “Those types of thoughts, that type of magical thinking, that tends to disappear around the ages of 8 to 10 years old.”

Although this seems to fit into the Wisconsin law, which states a child is to be tried in adult court if he or she attempted to commit murder “on or after the juvenile’s 10th birthday,” Freeman said not all children mature at the same pace.

“Courts have a difficult time parsing that out because things have to be black and white,” he said. “That type of regulation totally omits the idea that people can be at different levels of maturation even at the same age.”

Freeman said adult courts tend to be more punitive, while juvenile courts tend to be more rehabilitative, which means that the 12-year-olds they may not get the help they need if they’re found to have mental illness and tried in adult court.

“That’s the crux of the issue really,” Freeman said.

Wiznitzer said the brain undergoes “incremental” changes between 10 and 12 years old as white and gray matter increase and nerves learn to communicate more efficiently, but the brain is not fully developed until a person reaches their mid-20s.

Freeman added that the frontal lobe of the brain, which controls rational thinking and common sense, does not fully develop until someone is in his or her early-20s. This is why people into their late teens tend to engage in risky behavior, such as speeding, he said Guangzhou Evergrande Alibaba whose husband was on the flight pushing researchers to extend perimeter of the bubbles The agency is pushing for alterations.