What should be the maximum permitted sentence for a 14-year-old offender?

[H. Ross Peron]

Life but only for some hypothetical serial killer or rapist.

[Del Tachi]

Juvenile detention until 21, upon which the offender must reappear before a court where he has the chance to argue that he had been rehabilitated and can be released and the State has a chance to argue for further incarceration. 

[Wake Me Up When The Hard Border Ends]

If it's a serious offence, such as murder, then death.

[I Will Not Be Wrong]

This reminds of the guy who was in jail for four years from Catch Me If You Can.
Jail is not for kids.

[morgieb]

20 years, I guess.

I know they're most likely old enough to know what's right and what's wrong, and in some cases the crime is bad enough that they shouldn't really be given a slap on the wrist, but the thought of locking someone up that young forever (given you know they're likely to be easy to rehabilitate, which quite frankly is the purpose of prison) I can never see myself supporting them being locked up for good. TDAS argument sums it up well, IMO.

[PJ]

TDAS, can you give a specific example?

A 14-year-old commits a crime that could result in the death penalty for an adult (assuming that the state has the death penalty).  He walks into school and intentionally murders six.

I would say 20 years maximum. The main purpose should be rehabilitation, but 4 years doesn't really make a difference. Death is an absurd punishment for any crime, let alone one committed by a 14 year old.

[New_Conservative]

40 years, of course depending on the crime. About 99% of crimes, obviously the 7th option comes to play.

[Flake]

Option 7

[Franzl]

There are people honestly advocating that we kill 14-year olds? Seriously?

[DC Al Fine]

There are people honestly advocating that we kill 14-year olds? Seriously?

In the worst of circumstances yes. If they committed the worst of crimes and clearly knew what they were doing there's no reason not to treat them like adults. Mind you, this would only be in the rarest of circumstances, but if a 14 year old was say... a serial killer, yeah hang 'em high.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

There are people honestly advocating that we kill 14-year olds? Seriously?

In the worst of circumstances yes. If they committed the worst of crimes and clearly knew what they were doing there's no reason not to treat them like adults. Mind you, this would only be in the rarest of circumstances, but if a 14 year old was say... a serial killer, yeah hang 'em high.

This.

[Beet]

I barely support the death penalty for adults... for kids... no. (Maybe if it was Osama bin Laden.) One of the basic premises of our society is that kids aren't sovereign beings and can't be held fully responsible for their actions. They're learning to do so, but they're not fully there yet. I think if you are going to treat kids as a adults for the purposes of punishment and responsibility then you should do so for rights as well. Give kids the same rights as adults have... to own property, live on their own, drive, smoke, vote, and so on.

[Franzl]

What a great message that would be. "We can murder you for your crimes, but you have to wait another 4 years to vote (and another 7 years to have a beer.)"

[politicus]

The gap between 20 years imprisonment and juvenile incarceration until age 21 is much too wide. I would be somewhere in the middle.

If they are dangerous to society due to psychopathy or mental illness, they should be detained until its deemed save to let them out. But that is another matter.

[TDAS04]

What a great message that would be. "We can murder you for your crimes, but you have to wait another 4 years to vote (and another 7 years to have a beer.)"

Yep.  It's easier for adult policy-makers to burden juveniles with adult responsibilities than it is for those adults to provide kids with adult rights.  It's a blatant double standard, but adults are in charge, so why be consistent when they don't have to be?

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

I don't know, there's no satisfying answer to that sort of question.  I guess of these options I'd go with 20 years. A child committing a crime shouldn't be held to the same standard as an adult, but I don't see the point in holding them until 21 and then automatically releasing them.  Spending your adolescence in juvie is not necessarily going to make a positive improvement. By 34 years they'd at least have some time to mature.

[I Will Not Be Wrong]

Incarceration until age 18.

[Mordecai]

As opposed to far left heroism or far right heroism?

The death penalty is clearly much worse, it allows for no rehabilitation and doesn't seek to solve the problem. At least rehabilitation until 18 allows for that intervention and four years is a long time for a 14-year-old.

Yes, obviously opposing both death and a slap on the wrist for serious 14-year-old criminals is horrible moderate heroism.

Rehabilitation for the rest of their adolescent years is arguably a lot more reasonable and productive than just executing them or locking them up for 30 years. What use would 30 years of hard time be if they spend the rest of their childhood and a large chunk of their adulthood living with criminals? What are they going to do when get out of prison at age 44? Just go on living life? They have no life. They'd probably go right back to criminal activity.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Life. A fourteen year old (like the one who accompanied the man who shot my step-uncle) shouldn't be forced to spend their lives in prison for making mistakes in their youth. At the same time, if a fourteen year old rapes and kills the lady next store, I see no reason why he should not get life.

[Mordecai]

I actually remembered reading a story with similar details to this so I tried to find it.

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/08/02/19840090-boy-who-killed-family-turns-up-46-years-later-as-college-professor?lite

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[RosettaStoned]

 Execution by firing squad.

[politicallefty]

Life, with the possibility of parole (perhaps once every five years). I don't think life without parole for minors is consistent with the Eighth Amendment. If someone at 14 commits a particularly heinous crime, I'm far more likely to support psychiatric treatment over imprisonment.

I have to say I'm mortified that anyone here would support sending a 14-year old to death. I can understand why someone may support the death penalty, but allowing for a juvenile death penalty is completely repugnant to me.

[RosettaStoned]

Execution by firing squad.

You're cute.

 I'm serious.

[Repub242]

Life imprisonment