Why are carjackings often committed by teens?

Across the country crime has increased since the pandemic and unrest began last spring. One of the most notable crimes that frequently involves teens is carjacking. Carjackings in Chicago have increased at least 125% this year according to Chicago police. All violent crime has increased this year, but carjackings are noticeable because many and sometimes even most cases of this crime are committed by minors, including teens as young as 13 and 14 years old. What is causing this trend? What do the teens that commit carjackings get out of the act? According a Chicago Tribune report, a Chicago teen arrested for carjacking gave this statement to the newspaper in 2018:

"The teen admits he gets a rush from fleeing from police.
“I like going fast,” the teen said while relaxing on the front porch of his home in the Englewood neighborhood. “Once you see the police, like everybody think the police are above everybody. … I just show them that they’re not.”
While trying to flee, the teen said he would blow through green lights but tap the brakes while zipping through red lights.
“When I’m in a high-speed chase … my mind’s focused on the road, me not crashing this car, me not smacking somebody else’s car,” he said". (As the number of carjackings in Chicago rises, so has the number of juvenile suspects arrested for it)

Quianna Carr is a victim of carjacking

So in other words a big part of the reason that at least some teens engage in carjackings is that they experience thrill from the experience. Because penalties for minors are not very severe there are few disincentives (reasons NOT to do something) for engaging in carjacking if certain young people find the experience fun. What about the punishments for minors caught carjacking? Most are placed on probation and get court supervision. Many are released very quickly without any long-term consequences. "A Tribune analysis of Cook County juvenile court records from a recent four-year period found that about a third of the minors arrested by Chicago police for carjackings ended up facing less serious charges such as car theft or even lesser offenses." (As the number of carjackings in Chicago rises, so has the number of juvenile suspects arrested for it) These facts are known to teens that carjack and basically provide an incentive or reason to engage in this crime since so kids ever face serious consequences. However, even if the courts do not give a good reason why not to commit this crime, perhaps understanding the perspective of the victims might help. One example is Quianna Carr, a Chicago resident who in 2018 was carjacked by a 16 year old boy:

"The 43-year-old mother of four said she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and suffered flashbacks and nightmares.
“Everything scares me,” she recently told the Tribune. “I was in the parking lot of a grocery store and really just reaching over to grab my purse and a guy was trying … to get in his car next to mine, and my heart just about stopped beating.”. (As the number of carjackings in Chicago rises, so has the number of juvenile suspects arrested for it)

For punishment, the 16 year old offender in Ms. Carr's case received a year of probation, was placed on electronic monitors at home, and was required to do 30 hours of community service and attend school, not a very serious punishment for someone that caused such serious harm to Ms. Carr.

The suspects in a carjacking in Zion earlier this year

Finally, there is unfortunately the case of a young man in St. Louis named Damaurio Thomas. He and another young man tried to carjack a man in the parking lot of a convenience store in St. Louis last Sunday. Like many of the teens that engage in carjackings, Damaurio was armed with a gun. Unfortunately for this 14 year old boy, the man in the car he was attempting to steal was also armed and shot Damaurio during the carjacking attempt. Damaurio died soon after. This sad story shows that crime does not pay, even if many teens who engage in carjackings do not receive severe penalties from the courts, they have inflicted harm on other people and are always risking their lives simply for the thrill of a joyride.