the seriousness of that loss. The victim and the victim’s family deserve to be heard, and society has an interest in protecting people from future violence.
People & Society
But juvenile offenders present a unique challenge.
A 14-year-old is not simply a smaller version of a 40-year-old adult.
Adolescence is a period of enormous psychological and emotional development. Young people can be impulsive, highly influenced by peers, and less capable of evaluating long-term consequences.
At the same time, those developmental differences do not mean that serious violence
