How far should society go in punishing young criminals? Recent cases have reignited the discussion over treating juveniles as adults and giving them harsher penalties for serious crimes. For decades, juvenile justice reform has been a pendulum.
The pendulum swing: tough laws vs. reform
Three decades ago, society began viewing teens who committed violent crimes as a “new breed” of offenders. Media outlets and officials played a significant role in popularizing this narrative, with phrases like “super-predators” capturing public attention.
In the 1990s, as the Clinton administration sought to project a “tough-on-crime” stance, then-First Lady Hillary Clinton was on TV telling Americans, “They are often the kinds of kids that are called super predators, no conscience, no empathy.”
This language and accompanying efforts from President Bill Clinton’s administration resulted in laws that sent more juveniles to adult courtrooms.
