All too often, we have turned on the evening news to see tragic scenes of children, slain at school, dead at the hands of other children.  Last year, an 11-year-old and his 13-year-old friend in Jonesboro, Arkansas killed 4 fellow students and a teacher.  The price for taking five lives?  The killers were convicted in juvenile court and will be held in juvenile detention until their 18th birthdays, then released.

Violence is a real threat in today's society and we should be concerned about it. Children are among the most likely of all age groups to be the victims of violence.  According to the American Bar association, offenders under the age of 18 commit one in five violent crimes.  Yet children tried and convicted as juveniles are given shorter sentences and often are released when they turn 21 years old, if not earlier.  Kids get the message that their crimes don't matter, and they often go on to commit more dangerous offenses.

Thankfully, the tide is turning in favor of greater justice.  Recently, a 13-year-old in Michigan shot and killed an 18-year-old named Ronald Greene, then bragged to friends about the shooting the next day.  The killer was convicted as an adult of second-degree murder, and will not be assured of release when he turns 21.  As the victim's mother declared, "Justice has been served."

"The message in this verdict is there's responsibility here," prosecutor Lisa Halushka told reporters after the verdict was read.  "There's responsibility for the loss of Ronald Greene."