MPs Call For Review of Age of criminal Responsibility in England and Wales

London: Conservative and Labour MPs have asked the government to consider raising the age of criminal responsibility from 10 in England and Wales and to explain why a disproportionate number of children in custody are from a minority ethnic (BAME) background.

Child psychiatrists told the justice select committee that children’s brains are not fully formed by the age of 10, which is when they can be put on trial in England and Wales. Scotland recently increased its age limit to 12 and many other countries in the world only consider older teenagers culpable for crimes.

As part of its children and young people in the youth justice system inquiry, the justice committee, chaired by the Conservative MP Sir Robert Neill, recommended the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) review the age of criminal responsibility and “report on the implications of raising the age in England and Wales to 12 and to 14, including the likely effect on reducing the number of children in custody and alternative methods of disposing of children beneath those ages who have committed serious offences”.

Read more: Helen Pidd, Guardian, https://is.gd/UtWUKs