Raising the Age When Children Can Be Charged with Crimes

This bill would raise the minimum age at which children can be charged with criminal offences. Currently, children aged 10 and above can face criminal charges in England and Wales. The bill proposes increasing this age limit, meaning younger children would not go through the criminal justice system when they break the law. Instead, they would receive support through other services like social care or education. The government says this recognises that very young children may not fully understand the consequences of their actions. Critics argue this could leave victims without justice and may not deter young people from committing serious crimes. The change would align England and Wales more closely with other European countries, which typically have higher minimum ages for criminal responsibility.

• 1Raises the minimum age for criminal charges above the current age of 10
• 2Affects how the justice system handles crimes committed by young children
• 3Children below the new age limit would receive support rather than criminal punishment
• 4Government says it recognises young children's limited understanding of consequences
• 5Some argue this could reduce deterrent effects and deny justice to victims