New article alert: integrating developmental and antiracist perspectives into juvenile legal system research

Dr. Cavanagh's latest article, Integrating developmental and antiracist perspectives into juvenile legal system research, is out now in Developmental Review.

We frame the U.S. legal system as a pervasive developmental context shaping youth development and show how legal involvement reshapes development across families, schools, and neighborhoods.

We also define "developmental mismatch" as misalignment between adolescents’ needs and legal environments, and identify research and policy directions that center youth and support developmentally responsive systems.