Minimum age of criminal responsibility

SCRA has welcomed the news that the age of criminal responsibility in Scotland will be raised to 12 years.

Neil Hunter, Principal Reporter/Chief Executive Officer for SCRA said: “We welcome the
announcement today that the age of criminal responsibility in Scotland will be raised to 12 years. The new law will ensure that no child under 12 in Scotland will be treated as a criminal or receive a criminal record.

“The low age of criminal responsibility in Scotland has been increasingly out of step with what we understand about the best ways to address problematic behaviour and with the ethos of the Children’s Hearings System, which recognises that offending behaviour cannot be separated from the wider issues, vulnerabilities and concerns in a child’s life.

“The change will help ensure we all focus on the needs of these children and young people – many of whom are extremely vulnerable – and it will ensure their rights are respected in line with the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

“We look forward to working with the Scottish Government and other partners to implement this very welcome change.”

More information is available on the Scottish Government website.