A generation after America decided to get tough on kids who commit crimes – sometimes locking them up for life – the tide may be turning. States are rethinking and, in some cases, retooling ...

A generation after America decided to get tough on kids who commit crimes — sometimes locking them up for life — the tide may be turning. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ...

Sheila Montgomery and son Zack, 17, at their home in Portland, Ore. Zack served 27 months for being an accomplice in a robbery. His mom believes probation and counseling would have served him better. ...

Minnesota prosecutor Backstrom was frustrated when he couldn't try as an adult a 16-year-old who killed an acquaintance in a drug dispute and served less than 1 1/2 years in juvenile detention.

HASTINGS, Minn — For 33 years, Dakota County has had a dedicated chief prosecutor who also had a huge impact on Minnesota's criminal laws passed at the state capitol. "Crimes against children. The ...