The Age of Criminal Responsibility

ISSN 0817-8542 ISBN 0 642 241 98 8 One of the most difficult areas of criminal justice policy lies in providing appropriate legal mechanisms to reflect the transition from the age of childhood innocence through to maturity and full responsibility under the criminal law. Along with specialised institutions such as Children’s Courts and juvenile detention centres, specific legal rules have been developed which differentiate the position of children and young people within the general criminal justice system. Considerable recent attention has been directed towards rules governing the minimum age of criminal responsibility, and the imposition of criminal responsibility above that age depending on a young offender’s appreciation of the wrongness of his or her act. This Trends and Issues paper examines the operation of these rules, along with criticisms and prospects for reform.