Lib Dem youth justice policy at odds with government line on age of criminal responsibility
Neil Puffett
Monday, February 21, 2011
Liberal Democrat proposals to increase the age of criminal responsibility to 14 have been published in a move that could create a split on youth justice policy within the government.
The suggestion forms part of a new youth justice policy that could be adopted by the party at its spring conference next month.
Children under 14 would be "held accountable for their acts" by specially trained panels and would receive "appropriate penalties", potentially including secure custody.
Linda Jack, chair of the Liberal Democrats' youth policy working group, said, where possible, her party had to differentiate itself from its Conservative partners in the coalition.
"This is a main area where clearly we have a different view and we feel our view is balanced up by evidence rather than emotion, which is where we feel the Conservatives are coming from," she said. "It will be something we can push with them."
In December last year, the government revealed it has no plans to review the age of criminal responsibility in England and Wales.
However, pressure to raise the age of criminal responsibility, which at 10 is among the lowest in Europe, has gained momentum in recent months.
A YouGov poll, commissioned by the Prison Reform Trust’s Out of Trouble campaign and published last September, found the majority of those questioned do not want children to be sentenced to custody until 14 for non-violent crimes.
The same week, Barnardo’s called for an increase in the age of criminal responsibility from 10- to 12-years-old for all but the most serious crimes.
