Kids Will Be Kids … Until They Grow Out of It

This chapter considers and rejects two arguments for leniency towards child criminals. According to the first, child criminals should be treated leniently since their bad behavior springs from developmentally normal psychological mechanisms operating in criminogenic circumstances. The chapter objects to this argument on the grounds that it is guided by a mistaken view to the effect that punishment is justified only when applied to aberrant behavior. According to the second argument, child criminals should be treated leniently because they can be expected to age out of their criminogenic habits without punitive intervention. The chapter objects to this argument on the grounds that it relies on an indefensibly narrow conception of the reasons to punish. The chapter also discusses the degree to which children’s prospects for rehabilitation should shield them from the sentence of life without parole.