A catchall label for very different incidents has fueled calls for harsher punishment. A closer look points to solutions that help youth thrive and address safety without feeding fear.

“Violent ‘teen takeover’ chaos” reads a July 6 NBC News headline. The news segment features footage of fights and arrests in North Charleston, South Carolina, and Raleigh, North Carolina, over the holiday weekend. If you’re a regular consumer of news, this and similar footage from elsewhere in the nation may be familiar to you, as the supposed “tee ...