Many years ago I worked at a “youth center” aka juvenile prison. Had a kid who at 15 with his twin murdered his step father and left his step mother for dead. Because it was a juvenile facility, the philosophy of the time encouraged, strongly encouraged, release after about 3 months—unless the youth in question exhibited problems while locked up. By law he would have to be released on his 18th birthday.
Juvenile justice, at least as it was practiced then, was not to be punishment for crimes, but guidance away from “delinquency”. Many would be surprised at how truly evil a 13 or 14-year-old kid can be—and that rarely changes on his 18th birthday.
Nehemiah had a 12-year-old girlfriend.
He exchanged text messages and a photograph of his dead mother with the girl on the night of the killings.
http://www.abqjournal.com/164529/news/griegos-give-him-a-second-chance.html