Maryland Authorities Frustrated By Inability to Punish Youth Who Made Multiple Bomb Threats

A 12-year-old who admitted to making seven bomb threats to three different Maryland schools this month admitted to doing it while being fully aware that they couldn’t be criminally charged under state law because of their young age, Nina Golgowski reports for the Huffington Post.

The law, called the Justice Reform Act and enacted last year, prohibits anyone under the age of 13 from being charged with a crime unless it’s a “crime of violence.” It is partially based on research showing that preteens have a “diminished neurocognitive capacity to be held culpable for their actions and also lack the ability to understand legal charges against them. However, Montgomery County Police Chief Marcus Jones emphasized the strain that threats like these can put strain on both local law enforcement and communities’ financial resources. It is currently unknown how, if at all, the child will be disciplined.