I think to be honest most people are arguing the same point, albeit from different angles.
I don't think many people would argue that a 13 year old should be tried as an adult.
My point was that children can be held criminally responsible from the age of ten, however often enough, not much is actually done.
I'm not suggesting lock them up and throw away the key, just that just because they're still children, doesn't stop them being extremely dangerous.
People lives can, and are, made a living misery by these children.
As pointed out by a PP, they see things like walking away, turning the other cheek, being the bigger person etc as a weakness.
I've seen a shopkeeper threatening to call the police of a group of 'tweens' before, and them laugh in his face, tell him 'What are they gonna do', and carry of tormenting him.
Essentially people need to feel safe, and need to feel that the police are there to protect them, and especially in the cases of 'tweens' this doesn't always seem to happen. Which leads to them feeling 'untouchable'.
I'm not saying that rehabilitation isn't important, nor that these kids don't deserve second chances etc, just that these things shouldn't happen at the expense of people's safety and mental health.