A major frame used by the media in this situation was that the   punishment the boys received was not appropriately harsh, considering the crime they committed.   They shot at their friends, classmates, and teachers, killing four and wounding ten.

    On the other hand, an adult who was guilty of the same crime would likely be facing life in jail or perhaps
even the death penalty. Articles also said that the boys were sent to a "juvenile center" not a jail or a prison
since "juvenile center" sounds much less harsh. This is a concept addressed by "Contestable Categories and Public Opinions" (Edelmen, 1979) when he discusses how certain words can have a strong influence on how the public feels about certain issues.

In these ways, the media makes their punishment seem too short, too lenient, and too soft.
 
 

The media also focused on the way the punishment was not harsh enough for the crime. The judge who   presided over their trial was quoted as saying   "here the punishment will not fit the crime".   The two thoughts that the punishment was not adequate, but that it was the harshest allowed by law suggests that the legal system is to blame. Many articles said that the system is not designed to chastise teenage criminals to an appropriate extent. Since we have teenagers in our society that engage in criminal action, many articles imply that the legal system where teens are concerned must be revised so they are punished appropriately.