Whenever any person advocates for leniency, they often point out that children’s minds aren’t fully developed, preventing them from fully understanding the consequences of their actions. Yet, as we’ve seen in Maryland, this leniency comes at a grave cost to the innocent.The leadership of the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services, under Secretary Vincent Schiraldi, is a case in point. Under his watch, youth crime has surged, all culminating in a tragic mass shooting by teenagers.
Gangs frequently recruit them, capitalizing on the realities that penalties for juvenile offenders are typically less harsh than those for adults — if there are any at all. These children are often in a double bind — they do not fully grasp the consequences of their actions and they are also unaware they are being utilized as tools in the hands of unscrupulous adults seeking to avoid accountability in the criminal justice system.
While it may not be appropriate to treat children exactly as adults in many situations, there needs to be a level of harshness in our response. The ultimate goal is evident — to rehabilitate these children, ensuring that once they’ve served their sentences, they aspire to lead productive, law-abiding lives. While I may not possess a definitive solution, it’s evident that our current policymakers are not enacting policy that brings us closer to this goal.