Being tried as a juvenile doesn't have to mean treating it like a lesser crime, like he committed petty theft instead of rape. It can simply be keeping in mind that the criminal has a better chance of being rehabilitated. He'd still lose many of the freedoms that his peers can enjoy, and that would continue well into his adulthood. The problem is that it's easier (and more profitable for some) to throw someone in jail/basically let them completely go than have dedicated case workers to keep tabs, because our social infrastructure is shit.