Eight teenagers have been arrested for the videotaped beating another girl.  The 16 year old girl was spending time at her friend’s house for spring break when the other girls beat her repeatedly over the course of about 30 minutes.  The victim suffered severe injuries including loss of hearing and eyesight, black eyes, bruises, and even a concussion, leaving her barely recognizable to her father when he saw her in the emergency room.  The whole incident was videotaped so that the girls could post the beating on MySpace and YouTube in retaliation for the victim allegedly “trash talking” the girls. 

The teens face various felony charges for battery, false imprisonment and kidnapping.  It appears all eight teens involved will be charged as adults and could be sentenced to life in prison. 

What is going on with our kids?  A recent CNN news article on the topic mentioned a Justice Department report showing that by age 17, more than 1 in 5 girls said they had assaulted someone with the intent to cause serious harm.

Some argue that trying the teens in this case as adults with deter other teens from perpetrating this kind of violence.  Defenders argue that these teens have a “disconnect” between their thoughts and their actions – that peer pressure and that kids these days think its funny to post violence like this on the internet. 

What do you think?  Should these teenagers be tried as adults for their violent beating of their peer?  Or, should they be given a warning and counseling?  What about the victim?  What amount of justice does she deserve?