CYP Now - Opinion: Debate - Should the criminal age of responsibility beincreased?

The Association of Youth Offending Team Managers say 10 years old is too young to automatically presume criminal intent. They say an alternative would be to take children's individual development into account instead.

YES: Tim Bateman, senior policy development officer, Nacro youth crimesection

The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has consistently called uponthe UK to increase substantially the age of criminal responsibility inEngland and Wales. But no matter what age is set, it should not beassumed that children above it are criminally culpable. Children vary interms of intellectual and emotional maturity. It makes sense to assesscases individually rather than processing all children as criminals,irrespective of their stage of development.NO: Phil Gallie MSP, Constitutional affairs spokesman, ScottishConservatives

Children are being given the right to make lifestyle choices at anearlier age. Change that suggests children do not know the differencebetween right and wrong in the most serious of criminal actions would beirresponsible. Primary school children carry knives and weapons andpeddle drugs. A small proportion of unruly and illdisciplined childrencause mayhem. For the sake of the majority of children and for theiranxious parents there should be no change.

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