Lawyers say that the 11 Syracuse high school students who turned themselves in for allegedly being involved in the extreme hazing of five younger lacrosse players could face different punishments.

The players from Westhill High School, who are not being named because of their age, are accused of abducting younger members of the school’s lacrosse team last week with guns. Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick said it “went way beyond hazing.”

It’s true that most of the suspects are young, but Onondaga County First Chief Assistant District Attorney Joseph Coolican told CNN Wednesday that at least one of them is over 18.

Fitzpatrick said that the suspects are being charged with a minor crime of unlawful imprisonment. They turned themselves in within a day after the district attorney warned them on Tuesday that they could be charged with felony kidnapping if they didn’t do so within 48 hours.

Experts say that the outcome of their cases will rest on their age and how guilty they are.

Under New York state law, people under the age of 19 are given more leniency in the criminal justice system. They can get Youthful Offender Status, which seals their criminal record and lets the judge decide how to treat them more freely.

Teacher David Shapiro at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice at the City University of New York said that the Youthful Offender Status is “meant to give people 16 to 19 years old a second chance to get their lives in order.”

Shapiro said, “It’s recognizing the state of mind and the comparative development as a person grows from a child to an adult.” In any case, he said, the “fairly young age of the offenders would be taken into account at sentencing.”

The kids who are not minors will be arraigned, while the minors will go to family court, according to the district attorney. Joey Jackson, a legal expert for CNN, says that the punishment for each suspect could be decided by a different set of laws.

Jackson said that in New York, people under 16 go straight to family court, where the consequences are focused on rehabilitation and diversion programs like school or community work.

Jackson said that the judge in charge of the case could decide to send an 18-year-old suspect to the Youth Part of the Supreme Court. There, the suspect would be treated more carefully because they would be seen as a young delinquent instead of an adult in their early 20s. Jackson also said that this means they don’t have to go to prison and can get the same skills and programs as a junior offender.

There are some things that can go wrong with getting the Youthful Offender Status, though. The judge has to look at the type of crime they committed and whether they have a history of felony convictions or are suspected of other violent crimes that might make them unsuitable for that treatment.

Jackson said, “The whole point of this in New York is to look at whether there’s a difference between rehabilitation and punishment when you’re young.”

Jackson said that defense lawyers for suspects over the age of 18 will probably ask for their clients to be given Youth Offender Status instead of “getting slammed as an adult.” This is because “youth offender status” means that the suspects’ records will be sealed and they will get less severe punishment.