Thousands of criminals are aged under 10
Rushda:
September 2nd, 2007
New, worrying statistics based on 32 police forces in England and Wales have shown that around 3000 crimes were committed last year by children under 10, who were too young to be prosecuted. Almost half of these incidents involved damage and arson whereas the rest included crimes such as burglary and even sexual harassment.
What has been particularly concerning is that these children often get away with it because they cannot legally be charged with an offence. Police insist that although under-10s cannot be charged, the crime is still recorded by the police and, if concerned, the child can be placed under a supervision order. Though some say the minimum age should be dropped, some want it raised, so it is a controversial issue. Perhaps the most neutral stance is that of Paul Cavadino, Chief Executive of the crime reduction charity Nacro who argues:
“The best approach to serious child offenders is to deal with them as children who need effective care measures.”
Whatever the law, it is clearly a tricky issue as it seems wrong to put blame on children so young and yet there has to be some accountability. Though in some states in the US, the minimum age for having criminal responsibility is a shocking six years old, to many this would sound completely inhumane. Yet what of cases such as little James Bulger who was murdered by children who were barely ten years old?