Directed by Creator/ConstantineMakris

Written by Creator/BarrySchindel & Creator/AaronZelman

Briscoe and Green investigate the murder of Tommy Ngai, who was bludgeoned to death whilst making a take-out delivery from the restaurant he owned. The initial suspect, a homeless man, claims that a group of teenagers was present at the scene; witnesses confirm this. Evidence links Mitch Regan to the murder, and the whole group is arrested. Regan, the only one over 18, is charged with first-degree murder - a capital crime. In exchange for a plea deal, another member of the group testifies that Regan suggested they rob the victim, since they didn't have enough money for the food. The other boys beat up Ngai, but Regan didn't want him to identify them, and crushed Ngai's head.

Given the level of sadism and pre-meditation involved in the murder, and Regan's history of violence, Abbie and [=McCoy=] push for the death penalty. Lewin is very reluctant, but goes along with it when she has to concede there is no legal precedent to say no on the basis of Regan's age. At trial, [=McCoy=] posits that there was no way Ngai (who had been wrapped in a blanket) could have identified the perpetrators; Regan just wanted to kill him. [=McCoy=] convinces the jury that Regan is simply too dangerous to live, and they give a unanimous request for the death penalty. Lewin estimates that, even with a full appeals process, Regan will have been executed by the time he's 20.

!!!This episode contains examples of:
* ArmorPiercingQuestion: At the sentencing hearing, [=McCoy=]'s last question to Regan's mother is one of these.
-->'''[=McCoy=]:''' Mrs. Regan, you said you know your son better than anyone in the world?
-->'''Mrs. Regan:''' Yes.
-->'''[=McCoy=]:''' Did you know he was capable of this?
* BigNo: Mitch's mother cries out two after he is sentenced to death.
* BothSidesHaveAPoint: [=McCoy=] and the other A.D.As have a long discussion over whether or not Regan should be given the death penalty, with some arguing that he's young enough to turn his life around after prison, while others point out the sheer nature of the crime fits every single prerequisite for the death penalty, alongside their own personal opinions on the death penalty itself. No side is pointed to as being completely in the right, but eventually they come to the conclusion that, regardless of personal feelings on the idea, the sheer sociopathic nature of Regan's actions means that by law he has to be put up for the death penalty.
* ConsummateLiar: Regan, in spades.
* CrazyHomelessPeople: Warner (an initial suspect in the murder) is a bitter homeless veteran.
* DownerEnding: The DA's office are not pleased with themselves for winning the case.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Regan embodies many horrific TeensAreMonsters traits but is a MommasBoy, and his mother claims he's always been protective of his younger siblings and stayed with his grandmother when she died.
* EyeScream: It's discovered that Regan previously blinded another kid in one eye in an assault.
* FemalesAreMoreInnocent: Downplayed with Regan's girlfriend. She helped her male friends steal a homeless man's blanket and plot to rob a deliveryman's food (placing the call to lure him in), and obstructs the police investigation. However, it's implied she wasn't present during the actual beating, robbery, and murder and, like the others, didn't know Regan was going to kill anyone.
* FormulaBreakingEpisode: Downplayed; the "Law" side of ''Law & Order'' is still represented, but not by a trial, since the episode's defendant has so much evidence against him that a trial would be more or less pointless. Instead, more attention is given to the prosecutors debating whether or not to seek the death penalty beforehand, and afterwards, the usual "trial" portion of the episode is replaced by a sentencing hearing.
* FreudianExcuse: The defense tries this by highlighting the fact that Regan does not get along with his stepfather, and his biological father is an alcoholic. [=McCoy=] shuts that one down by having Regan's mother confirm that neither of them has ever been violent to her son.
* GodHelpUsAll: Lewin's final line (the final line of the episode to boot) is a type A version of this, as having put an 18 year old on death row she's not feeling too proud of either herself or her office.
-->'''Lewin:''' ...and may God have mercy on us all.
* GoodOlBoy: Regan's defense attorney is one.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: Regan's defense attorney doesn't bother calling any witnesses at Regan's trial, since the amount of evidence against his client essentially makes it pointless; the jury is out for less than an hour and the trial itself isn't even shown on-screen. He instead saves his witnesses for the sentencing hearing so that he can plead for his client's life, although he's ultimately unsuccessful.
* MamasBoy: For all his faults, Regan loves and is protective of his mother.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: While Nora Lewin herself is against the death penalty, she ultimately agrees to seek it against Regan when her staff convinces her that the facts of the case do legally warrant it. In her speech to the press announcing this, she admits that her decision goes against her personal beliefs, but that her position requires her to follow the law regardless of how she feels.
* RippedFromTheHeadlines: Based on the murder of Jin-Sheng Liu.
* RiteOfPassage: Regan committed the murder on his 18th birthday.
* ShellShockedVeteran: Marvin Warner.
* ShoutOut: Named for a line from a song by Music/TheWho, [[RefrainFromAssuming actually called]] [[Music/WhosNext "Baba O'Riley"]].
* SurvivorGuilt: The victim's niece, who worked for him, experiences this when she realizes that her uncle was killed making a fake delivery; she was so tired that she forgot to take a number to check the caller was genuine.
* TeenageWasteland: So much so that it's the title of the episode. Also doubles as a ShoutOut, see above.
* TeensAreMonsters: Very much so. Regan and his friends all rob and brutally murder a deliveryman to get his order and his money. Regan even makes one of his friends drive so he can eat the food.
* TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior: Regan, although now an adult, had a history of violent behavior as a child and teen.