Bill introduced to raise age of criminal responsibility

The age of criminal responsibility is set to rise from 8 to 12, under legislation introduced to the Scottish Parliament.

This proposed change reflects recurring recommendations from the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child that this change is needed if children’s rights are to be fully embedded in Scots law.

If passed by Parliament, the Bill will also mean that any information on harmful or concerning behaviour involving children under the age of 12 will no longer be disclosed automatically but will be subject to independent review on a case by case basis.

Read more: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/Bills/107986.aspx

 

 

Image credit: Craig Chew-Moulding CC by 2.0, Flickr