A Freedom of Information Request by the BBC has discovered that over 3,000 crimes were committed by under-10’s who can’t be prosecuted because they are below the age of criminal responsibility.
This has naturally led some to ask – including the BBC – whether the age of criminal responsiblity should be lowered.
England, Wales and Northern Ireland already have one of the lowest ages of criminal responsiblity with only Scotland and some US states trying children as adults at a younger age – 8 and 6 years old respectively.
My eldest son is 9 years old and at that age he he knows right from wrong. However, I don’t think that he is mature enough to fully appreciate the consequences of his actions which is pretty important when you consider whether someone has knowingly broken the law with an understanding of the consequences or whether they have done so with diminshed responsibility.
Don’t worry, I’m not going soft – a child under 10 can still be tried and punished for their actions if they are old enough to know right from wrong but they will be treated as a child, not an adult.
The Childrens Society is calling for the age of criminal responsibility to be raised to 14 which would bring us in line with Germany, Austria, Russia and Japan.
I think 10 is probably about the lowest age to expect a child to have the same understanding of the consequences of their actions as an adult would. I certainly wouldn’t be happy with the age being lowered but then I wouldn’t necessarily be happy with it being raised either. On balance, I think 10 is fine and as the saying goes “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.
I find it’s more the parents…right and wrong comes from values instilled in development by social betters and elders. Plus frequent beatings. Never did s any harm, did it? Too little parenting these days, if you ask me. People should have to take exams to become parents..
I agree that bad parenting is the cause of a lot of problem children but being taught – or even knowing – the difference between right and wrong doesn’t make you criminally responsible. A child can know that something is wrong but they don’t necessarily understand the consequences of doing it. Like the time your brother nicked a sit-on mower and drove it into your pond – you knew it was wrong but did you understand the consequences of what he was doing?
People should have to take exams to become parents.
Definitely! It would be going along the right lines that’s for sure.
Society is completely stuffed up! Big brother social workers watch this and that like hawks and yet nobody says that parents should be tested and vetted before they become parents. Why the f*ck not?
If a parent gives their kid to some unknown babysitter they’re most probably (at least) going to be verbally attacked. Yet nobody questions two people getting together to have a baby. Nobody asks “well are they competant enough?” Maybe proven competant mothers and fathers of grown-up children should be given jobs as child monitors! I know, this sounds just like communism! What is the answer though? Children definitely need strong parents or parent-figures and boundaries.
Thinking about it, it isn’t just parents who are responsible for the current situation. Look at what the EUrolanders/ new labour have done to our kids? Denying them their history, telling them their culture is shite, killing their parents/grandparents by denying them cancer drugs. I am not at all surprised that English children are rebelling. In the main though, the parents are the main teachers of their children. Of course it doesnt help that the pathetic nanny state big brother govt tries to walk all over parents, i.e. take away all their authority! Like I stated already, I am not surprised that English kids are confused!