Adolescent Crime vs. Adult Crime Theme Analysis

Sixteen-year-old Richard unexpectedly finds himself in legal hot water after setting fire to Sasha, a genderqueer teen, in a poorly conceived adolescent prank gone terribly wrong. Under a California law known as Proposition 21, prosecutors have the unilateral power to try underage offenders as adults in cases involving violent crime, and this is exactly what happens to Richard. He is treated as an adult for committing a crime as an adolescent, and The 57 Bus examines the implications of this common legal practice. Through the representation of Richard and his crime, Slater at once condemns the discrimination that lead to the assault while also advocating for Richard’s right to be tried as an adolescent. Ultimately, Slater argues that adolescent brains do not operate the same as adult brains, thus, she posits, adolescents should not be tried as adults within a court of law.

Slater contends that the juvenile brain develops in such a way that teenagers often behave “impulsively,” rendering sound decision-making difficult. According to Slater, as the human brain develops during adolescence, it is “busily lining important neural pathways with a fatty sheath called myelin.” This myelin allows messages—thoughts, actions, interpretations and the like—to travel throughout the brain by way of neurological synapses, making thought processes faster. The prefrontal cortex, “the part of the brain responsible for reason, planning, and deliberation,” is the last part of the brain myelinated, and is typically not fully myelinated until a juvenile reaches their early twenties. As such, the adolescent brain requires more time to make sound, reasonable decisions compared to an adult brain. Additionally, Slater claims that the limbic system, the part of the brain responsible for processing emotional signals, becomes increasingly sensitive during puberty. The limbic system informs one’s responses to stimuli, including “Avoid! Investigate! Eat! Fight! Flirt!” According to Slater, this hyperactive system is “one reason teenagers become both more emotional and more interested in having new and intense experiences.” Slater points out that a teenager’s underdeveloped prefrontal cortex and their overly stimulated limbic system often combines into what psychologists refer to as “hot cognition.” Hot cognition assumes that when faced with new or stressful situations, teenagers often think with their limbic system rather than their prefrontal cortex, and the resulting actions can be catastrophic. Furthermore, Slater continues, “the presence of peers is one of the things that raises the emotional stakes,” making teens more likely to seek out risky behavior “without pausing to consider the consequences.” Neurologically speaking, a teenage brain does not process stimuli in the same way that an adult brain does, which suggests that adolescents should be held to a different set of legal consequences.

Indeed, Richard does show symptoms of “hot cognition” during Sasha’s assault, which implies that his decision-making abilities are underdeveloped. During Sasha’s attack on Oakland bus number 57, surveillance cameras show that Richard is in fact influenced by another youth—Richard’s friend Jamal points at Sasha and whispers, “Look at this dude,” before handing Richard the lighter. Presumably, without the influence of Jamal, Richard’s bullying of Sasha would not have involved the lighter. After Richard flicks the lighter near Sasha’s skirt and the fabric fails to hold a flame, Jamal then encourages Richard to continue flicking the lighter three more times. “Do it,” Jamal urges. Even if the lighter had been Richard’s idea, he may have simply given up after the first failed attempt without Jamal’s influence. Lastly, once Sasha’s skirt does catch fire, Richard is immediately remorseful. While “Jamal howls with laughter,” Richard jumps off the bus but instantly begins to chase after it, trying to see if Sasha is okay. Richard’s bullying of Sasha is senseless and cruel, yet his subsequent guilt and “sadness” suggests that he is not an inherently criminal young man. Instead, Slater argues, Richard’s actions are the result of peer pressure and his own “hot cognition,” which in turn leads to poor decision making.

Furthermore, Richard’s age has important implications once he is arrested, and it continues to work against him while he is in police custody. According to Slater, “more than 90 percent of juveniles who are interrogated by police don’t wait to talk to an attorney and don’t understand the rights the police have read to them.” Richard is no different, and the police question him for several minutes before even reading him his rights. Richard is open and forthcoming with investigators, even though this is not legally advisable, and he even admits that he is “homophobic” and “doesn’t like gay people.” It is later discovered that Richard has poor understanding of the word “homophobia” and believes it means that “he isn’t gay.” Of course, Richard’s misunderstanding further incriminates him, and he is ultimately charged with two hate crimes. According to a Boston-based study on hate crimes, Slater maintains, most hate crimes are not committed by organized hate groups. Rather, an overwhelming number of hate crimes are perpetrated by “young people ‘looking for some fun’ at the expense of someone they regard as lower status.” Richard’s attack on Sasha occurs under similar circumstances, and this, coupled with Richard’s poor understanding and his “hot cognition,” is precisely why Slater argues against prosecuting Richard as an adult. If Richard’s brain is only able to process information and respond to stimuli as an adolescent, then he should be treated as such within a court of law.