Most kids are treatable The state has been able to keep sex offenders confined beyond their prison sentence since 1990, when the Legislature passed the Community Protection Act. The measure was aimed at keeping those likely to repeat their crimes off the streets. It had not been applied to someone so young until now, but the same rules apply. Unfortunately, gauging whether a teen might reoffend may not be as easy as assessing an adult, Berliner said, because far less research has been done with youths. She said that many teens, because of whatever they learned or did not learn growing up, don't fully realize their behavior is wrong.
Most kids are quite treatable.
She said a boy who gropes girls and tries to sexually assault them needs help, but that designating him a sex predator is likely a severe overreaction.