Matter of Kingsley

In Matter of Kingsley (183 Misc 727), the court said while in a juvenile's case the "commission of a crime itself often may reflect the intent to so do, children often act thoughtlessly, without deliberation, without intent ... as creatures of ... the environment in which they have been reared." Thus, the theory is that "Reprehensible acts by juveniles are not deemed the consequence of mature and malevolent choice [but, rather, on the 'deterministic assumption' such acts resulted from] environmental pressures (or lack of them) or of other forces beyond their control." (McKeiver, supra, at 551.)