What do you do with a juvenile hijacker?

Anytime a juvenile gets arrested for something particularly notorious, there are screams by those who presume to have the interests of victims and society at heart to have the young person get the maximum penalty allowed.

And most of the time there are a fewer, quieter, do-gooders who note that the criminal is young, perhaps too young to understand what he/she did or was perhaps under the influence/control of an older, corrupting influence.

Most of these cases fall under state jurisdiction. Few of them fall under federal jurisdiction.

Now the federal government has to figure out how to handle a 16-year-old boy who was involved in an attempted hijacking of a ship in open sea.

The Obama government needs to show that it is tough on crime and actively combating hijacking, yet it has its share of people who will want mercy for the young man.

Of course, this all supposes that “juvenile justice” and “standing tough on crime” are mutually incompatible. That often is not the case, but few concede this.

Could be interesting.