Do you know many 10-year olds who will willingly hit themselves with a 10kg iron bar ? I don't think so, as they are fully aware of the consequences of this action.
I'm sure they are aware of the immediate consequences but I do not think they are
fully aware of
all the ramifications.
Think of the boy who cried wolf. He knew the cry would bring him attention (an immediate consequence) but he didn't know the false alarms would ruin the real one (a full ramification).
I don't think children are experienced, or wise, enough to consider the full ramifications, or assume full responsibility, for thier actions.
As far as fooling the legal system into letting them out, I'm pretty sure, with all the hype, that their evaluation was complete and accurate. They didn't trick people into letting them out.
There wasn't a momentary impulse or single decision involved in this case. It was a series of planned, repeated and sustained actions.
They even tried to destroy the evidence afterwards, which shows they were fully aware of what they've done.
You can't claim these. Way too much speculation.
This is
your opinion on what they did. The legal system had a different one and let them out.
Instead of imagining the scenario where they should not be let out, can you at least imagine the scenario where these boys
should be let out??