A Canadian study of athletes who have suffered “mild” traumatic brain injuries “suggests depression is actually a physical outcome of such head injuries.” Read this in conjunction with the American troop study suggesting that post-traumatic stress disorder also is an outcome of TBIs.

Why does it matter to us? Because the more people understand how incidents that are not even remotely the accused’s “fault” (car crashes, IEDs, football tackles) can affect his outlook, his judgment — indeed, his personality — the better they will comprehend how unfair it is to punish people without considering everything that might have influenced that conduct.