So His Mom Can Give Him a Hug

I agree that adult jail is no place for this young murderer.  But then, neither is next door. [More]

Some things are so broken they cannot be fixed, at least without tools. We can't have enough knowledge from one "news" account to know if that's the case here, but something is obviously haywire, and his physical capabilities are going to grow, as will a hormonal cocktail coursing through his veins. At a minimum, some sort of custodial imposition is called for, and it's not for a matter of time, it's for a matter of validated restoration of trust.

One other thing that's always bugged me: "The boy."

The Associated Press generally doesn't identify juveniles who are accused of crimes.

Why not?  If some defective-for-whatever-reasons little reptile down the street is burning kittens, I want to know about it. I'd think parents of young children living nearby would also benefit from that information, if only to be more aware and better able to keep theirs away when he's let out of his cage and is once more free to stalk among them, as so often happens under the present system.

We've seen the same phenomenon time and again with stories that identify suspects and victims by name, but then give "Only Ones" privileges and refer to "the officer."

And as long as I'm on a tear about names, I'll add how unfair it is for the media to shield the names of rape accusers. We're supposed to have equal, not preferred protection. The presumed innocent until proven guilty suspect has his name and reputation dragged out in front of everyone, and it's not like modern "feminists" want any truck with "patriarchal" gallantry and chivalry. Then, of course, we have the sterling examples of Tawana Brawley, Lena Dunham, et al...