How do we treat a child who kills? A pragmatic consideration of the prosecution of young children

Despite being a rare phenomenon, children who kill galvanise extraordinary amounts of conversation about why they did it, how to deal with them and how to prevent recurrences. The debate quickly becomes polarised and occasionally politicised, often without nuanced consideration of the benefits and costs of proceeding in one direction or another. A scientific approach would begin with the question: 'what do we actually want the outcomes to be?', which might assist in relinquishing the less helpful desire for natural justice or revenge and move towards a more evidence-informed and inclusive approach to children who have committed very serious crimes.