Dr. Edersheim Speaks on Judicial Well-Being at NAWJ Annual Meeting

NAWJ | October 24, 2025

CLBB Founding Co-Director Judith Edersheim, MD, JD, conducted a plenary session at the annual meeting of the National Association of Women Judges. She was joined by Judge Esther Salas (United States District Court, District of New Jersey) and Judge Sarah Ellis (Massachusetts Superior Court) in a program entitled “Balancing Justice and Well-Being: A Candid Conversation.” Judge Salas discussed escalating threats to the judiciary both inside and outside the courtroom. She used the violence directed at her own family to illustrate these threats and described her subsequent journey to heal, as well as her ongoing campaign to enact federal and state legislation to protect judicial privacy. Dr. Edersheim discussed how traumatic experiences are instantiated in structural and functional brain changes, and how these changes correlate with declines in well-being and mental health. She and Judge Salas also explored how various strategies, treatments, and experiences can help restore baseline brain function and promote wellness and productivity.

CLBB Highlights Suffolk County’s Emerging Adult Program at EOPSS Summit

EOPPS | November 5-6, 2025

CLBB Executive Director Robert Kinscherff, PhD, JD, gave a presentation on the innovative Emerging Adult Program (EAP) of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office at the well-attended Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPPS) Annual Summit on Emerging Adults. The post-arraignment program, launched in May 2025, offers a community-based alternative to traditional prosecution outcomes for individuals ages 18–26. Dr. Kinscherff highlighted CLBB’s role in developing the program and supporting evidence-based practices in collaboration with the MGB Neurotech Justice Accelerator.

The panel, moderated by Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden, included ADA Marc Tohme (Chief of District Courts), ADA John Blazos (Deputy Chief of District Courts), and EAP Program Coordinator Mswati Hanks. The EAP is emerging as a promising national model by engaging justice-involved young adults, courts, attorneys, and a continuum of community partners who provide education, employment, housing, immigration, medical, and behavioral health supports.

Participants were brief on program operations, including stakeholder engagement (courts, defense bar, community organizations, and service providers), as well as EAP eligibility and participant characteristics.

2025 National Legal Aid & Defender Association Annual Conference

NLADA | October 29-November 1, 2025

Senior Research Associate Andrew Charroux and NeuroLaw Library Research Librarian Dr. Katie Lamp hosted an exhibit the CLBB NeuroLaw Library at the 2025 National Legal Aid & Defender Association Annual Conference in Washington, D.C, a gathering of hundreds of attorneys and equal justice advocates. They introduced the upcoming Addiction & the Law module, an innovative suite of resources within the NeuroLaw Library. The new module has been created to equip public defenders, legal aid advocates, and justice reform leaders with accessible and actionable scientific insights about addictions and substance use disorders. Partnerships forged at this conference will help expand access to science-informed resources that advance fairer and more effective outcomes.

Ontario Judges Hear from Dr. Stephanie Tabashneck on Neuroscience and Family Court Decision-Making

Ontario Superior Court of Justice | October 17, 2025

CLBB NeuroLaw Library Director Stephanie Tabashneck, PsyD, JD, spoke at a Lunch and Learn session for judges from the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. Her presentation explored the neurobiology of substance use disorders and recovery, and how these issues intersect with parenting capacity, custody determinations, and the development of science-informed parenting plans in family court. The session highlighted evidence-based approaches that promote child well-being, support long-term recovery, and strengthen family outcomes.

Approaches to Assessment, Treatment, Response, and Prevention: Furthering Justice Reform Through Accessible Neuroscience

MASOC | October 22, 2025

CLBB NeuroLaw Library Director Stephanie Tabashneck, PsyD, JD, delivered a keynote address at the 2025 MASOC Conference on the Assessment and Treatment of Children and Adolescents Engaging in Problematic Sexual Behaviors. Her presentation explored the ways in which principles of adolescent neuroscience can inform our understanding of youth with problematic sexual behavior and challenge adult-oriented legal responses. She discussed why this science has yet to fully influence judicial thinking and what changes can occur when it does, emphasizing the importance of developmentally informed justice, judicial education, and initiatives like CLBB’s NeuroLaw Library that center science rather than stigma in responding to at-risk youth.

CLBB Showcases NeuroLaw Library at AMERSA’s Annual Conference

AMERSA | November 13-15, 2025

The Center for Law, Brain, and Behavior (CLBB) participated in the Association for Multidisciplinary Education and Research in Substance Use and Addiction's (AMERSA) 49th Annual National Conference in Portland, Oregon, sharing the CLBB NeuroLaw Library with clinicians, researchers, policymakers, and addiction medicine specialists from across the country. Throughout the conference, CLBB NeuroLaw Library Director Dr. Stephanie Tabashneck and CLBB Consultant Dr. Christen Carson showcased the forthcoming Addiction & the Law module—an innovative expansion of the NeuroLaw Library designed to equip judges, attorneys, and system leaders with clear, accessible, and scientifically-grounded resources on substance use disorders. Attendees received demonstrations of the Library’s interactive tools, including its adjustable comprehension slider for scientific articles and case summaries, expert-led educational videos, and litigation toolkits that translate the latest neuroscience into actionable guidance for legal decision-making.

The Case for Raising the Age of Juvenile Court Jurisdiction Has Only Grown Stronger 

Commonwealth Beacon | October 28, 2025

The Honorable Jay D. Blitzman (ret.), former First Justice of the Middlesex Juvenile Court, argued in a recent opinion piece that Massachusetts should expand Juvenile Court jurisdiction to include 18–20-year-olds, citing developmental science and recidivism data. He noted CLBB research showing minimal cognitive differences between 17- and 18-year-olds and that juvenile systems achieve lower recidivism than adult courts. Blitzman points out that while 18–24-year-olds are only 10% of the population, they account for nearly 29% of arrests, with 76% rearrested within three years in the adult system versus 26% in the juvenile system. He emphasized that the juvenile court’s rehabilitative infrastructure, including specialized judges, probation officers, and diversion programs, is better suited to serve emerging adults and limit collateral consequences, thereby contributing to public safety.

Getting Specific about Prosocial Identity Development as a Key Target for Justice-Involved Youth

SSRN | September 22, 2025

Gina Vincent, PhD, UMass Chan Medical School, and colleagues reported new findings on how prosocial identity may protect justice-involved youth from recidivism. In a study of 958 court-referred youth ages 10 to 20, they compared “other-oriented” identity from psychological research with “conventional” identity from criminology. Prosocial identity predicted one-year recidivism even after adjusting for demographics and socioeconomic status, with other-oriented identity showing the strongest protective effect. Proposed moderators such as moral internalization, self-efficacy, and social support did not influence these relationships. The results suggest that interventions fostering compassion for others may be more effective than those focused solely on rule compliance, particularly for low-risk youth.

Mental Health Care Training for an Aging Population: Envisioning the Future

Academic Psychiatry | October 24, 2025

Eugene Beresin, MA, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital, and colleagues provided a forward-looking perspective on preparing the psychiatric workforce to meet the mental health needs of an aging population. The journal editorial highlights demographic shifts, gaps in current training programs, and the growing importance of integrating knowledge of cognitive aging, neurobiology, and behavioral health into psychiatric education. The authors emphasize the need for interdisciplinary approaches and evidence-based training to equip clinicians to address the complex mental health challenges of older adults. They also discuss strategies for expanding curricula, improving clinical exposure to geriatric populations, and fostering skills that support ethical, patient-centered care in this rapidly growing segment of society.