The thing about youthful offenders is that no one seems to care about them. Most people don’t like adolescents - even the good ones can be snarky and unpleasant. Combine the antipathy we feel toward the average teenager with the fear inspired by youth violence, and you have a population that no one wants to deal with.

Waldman argues that society’s response to juvenile crime is distorted by a double bias: ordinary irritation with teenagers as a group and heightened anxiety about rare but sensational youth violence. That combination makes young offenders easy to dismiss—politically, institutionally, and emotionally—so their needs (rehabilitation, education, mental health care, stable family supports) are deprioritized. The quote highlights how moral judgment and fear can replace curiosity about causes and commitment to reform. It also implies that adolescents’ developmental volatility—often read as “snarky” or “unpleasant”—should be understood as part of youth, not as proof of irredeemable character, especially when the justice system is deciding between punishment and rehabilitation.