Session 7: Child and Adolescent Development & Closing Remarks
Over the past 25 years, there have been significant strides in what we know about the developing brain from birth through adolescence. This module will provide an overview of that research, along with promising practices and protocols that build resilience. We will explore topics including risk, resiliency, and protective factors, along with an examination of the underlying impact that Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) can have on cognitive and emotional development and decision-making. This presentation will also cover the latest developments in research on adolescent brain development and examine how brain science has changed what we know about teenage behavior to assist prosecutors in becoming more familiar with the developmental approach. This will not only increase their understanding of the general principles, but will also inform their positions on intake, detention, and case.
We will hear closing remarks from the Executive Director of the National District Attorneys Association, Nelson Bunn.
Stacy Miller, J.D., CWLS (Moderator)
Assistant District Attorney, Team Leader
Stacy L. Miller is an Asst. Dist. Attorney in the 20th Judicial District. She currently serves as a Team Leader for the Office of The District Attorney in Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee. She is certified as a Specialist in Juvenile/Child Welfare Law.
She has served the State of Tennessee in a variety of capacities during her legal career. She has worked for the Administrative Office of the Courts in the Court Improvement Program, and she has worked for the Department of Children’s Services as a staff attorney, a supervising attorney, and as the General Counsel. In addition to State service, Ms. Miller was in private practice for 10 of her 30 years as an attorney. Ms. Miller also served as an Adjunct Professor at Middle Tennessee State University where she taught Family Law and Introduction to Law for 20 years.
Prior to becoming an attorney, Ms. Miller completed her B.S in Communication Disorders at Northwestern University and a M.S. in Speech Pathology at San Francisco State University. She worked for 10 years in Maine and Tennessee as a Speech and Language Pathologist working with neurologically impaired children and adults. She was drawn into the court system when asked to testify on behalf of one of her speech clients who had suffered a severe stroke. Once in the courtroom, Ms. Miller knew that her next step had to be law school.
As a lawyer, she has been able to combine her knowledge of science, child development and medical training with the law in order to best meet the needs of the children and community that she serves as an Assistant District Attorney.
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