[lbrdn]

The problem here is capacity. Whether minors are involved in a homicide or not, the legal system has typically said that people under the age of 18 lack the mental capacity to be involved in certain activities (i.e. contracts, voting rights, juvenile as opposed to adult offenses, etc.). The courts have made a distinction and thus believe that minors are different mentally. This is not dissimilar from an insanity defense against a murder charge. The courts have said that mental capacity matters, and minors are not equal to adults.

And that's where this article upsets me, because in the cases mentioned in this article and other "tried as adults" cases, the court makes an exception, which to me doesn't follow logic or the way the courts, and statutes have typically distinguished things.

Life sentences for children, especially when there isn't a homicide, just isn't right.