ABSTRACT
Nathaniel Brazill brought a gun to school and shot a well-liked teacher in the face, killing him. He was 13. The jury was asked to decide if he committed premeditated murder. Is a 13-year-old capable of “cold-blooded murder?” Throughout a good portion of this country's history, we have excused juveniles from their crimes because of a belief that their immaturity prevented them from engaging in the calm, rational deliberation that is required for criminal
■ The juvenile justice system has a different origin and mission from the adult criminal court system and follows the model of parens patriae (“parent of the nation”), which refers to the state in the place of the parent.
