An Iowa teenager receives life for the beating death of his high school teacher
NPR Online NewsJUL 2023
Though teenagers should face repercussions when they've committed crimes, they should not be tried as adults. Compared to adults, children have more maturing ahead of them and thus have more room for rehabilitation. When tried as adults, they receive harsher sentences than they would have in a family court and then lose out on the possibility of reversing course.
Whether the perpetrator is above or below 18 years of age, those who commit violent adult crimes like this should be prosecuted and sentenced as adults in many circumstances — if not for the sake of punishment, then, at least, to provide justice to the families of the victims. This is a just and preventative approach to criminal justice.