Labour Considers Raising Criminal Responsibility Age to 14

The Ministry of Justice published a Youth Justice White Paper that proposes raising the age of criminal responsibility in England and Wales from 10 to as high as 14. The paper sets out changes to how the justice system handles young offenders and references a United Nations report that recommends the higher threshold.

David Lammy said Labour would carefully consider whether the current age of 10 reflects modern understanding of childhood and development. The proposals also include a target to cut the number of children held in custody by a fifth within three years, when around 420 under-18s are currently detained.

Further measures would overhaul disclosure rules for childhood criminal records and allow judges to imprison parents whose children persistently reoffend. Records would not be wiped entirely, and disclosure would still be required for the most serious offences.

England and Wales currently share the lowest age of criminal responsibility in Europe with Northern Ireland. The threshold has remained at 10 since 1963. Scotland sets the age at 12, while Germany uses 14, Sweden 15, and Portugal 16. Ministers are also reviewing the Irish model, under which the general threshold is 12 but children aged 10 or 11 can still face prosecution for serious crimes such as murder or rape.

Timothy opposed the changes, citing the 1993 murder of James Bulger by two 10-year-olds. He said the proposals include artificial targets to reduce imprisonment rates regardless of crime levels. Kirsty Brimelow KC, who leads the Bar Council, said major legal reform is needed to shift from criminalisation to rehabilitation.

The Bar Council's own review is expected to recommend raising the age threshold when it reports in coming weeks.