Life sentence for a 15 year old who didn't provably kill someone seems excessively harsh. Heck, the teen that did provably kill someone throwing a rock over an overpass didn't get life (he got 3-20)[0].
I have a slightly unpopular stance that death penalty is appropriate if there is overwhelming evidence of an unrepentant killer. I don't see any value in keeping them around in prison, especially if they will continue to have a negative influence on peers in prison for decades.
But other than that, I think even life is inappropriate in most cases, and especially for teens who don't really understand the impact of their actions.
I have a slightly unpopular stance that death penalty is appropriate if there is overwhelming evidence of an unrepentant killer. I don't see any value in keeping them around in prison, especially if they will continue to have a negative influence on peers in prison for decades.
But other than that, I think even life is inappropriate in most cases, and especially for teens who don't really understand the impact of their actions.
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_Interstate_75_rock-throwi...