I'm not suggesting that they be treated like they stole a candy bar. But they should also not be treated as an adult. Not unless the government is also willing to give them all the rights of an adult. And that would be ridiculous as well. There needs to be a serious reworking of the juvenile justice system IMO. But it needs to be done using logic, not emotion.
I see people bitching all the time about judges legislating, but never about legislators judging. Which they do all the time, teens tried as adults, mandatory minimums, etc. There was a time when we trusted the judgment of judges, hence the name, to take into account all mitigating and aggravating circumstances to reach a fair and just conclusion as to the appropriate punishment for a given crime, of course working within the bounds of the laws on the books. I don't even understand why someone would want to be a judge these days, they are for the most part nothing more than a referee.