Final answer:
In response to the moral panic over 'superpredator' youth, various states in the U.S. made it easier to try juveniles as adults as part of a broader law-and-order movement during the 1990s. This legal shift parallels past criminalization trends and reflects societal fears and changes in policy.
Step-by-step explanation:
The phenomenon of a moral panic about 'superpredator' youth has had significant legal repercussions, with various states responding to a purported rise in juvenile crime by making policy changes that allow for juveniles to be tried as adults. The moral panic that peaked in the 1990s, stemming from a fear of uncontrollable juvenile crime, led law-and-order advocates and politicians to promote tougher sentencing laws, including measures that treated juvenile offenders as if they were adults. This ties into broader historical trends of criminal justice policies and societal attitudes towards different groups, with parallels drawn to past criminalization policies, including those surrounding sexual morality and LGBTQ rights. While not specific to any individual state, it reflects a broader shift towards stricter juvenile justice across various jurisdictions. This trend was part of a larger law-and-order movement that has since faced pushback from scholars, activists, and some politicians who advocate for reform and decriminalization in different areas of social and legal policy.