Youth justice strategy focuses on increasing Northern Ireland’s age of criminal responsibility
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Naomi Long
A new strategic framework for youth justice in Northern Ireland has identified a consultation on increasing the age of criminal responsibility – currently just 10 years old – as a priority issue.
The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) recommends that the age of criminal responsibility should be at least 12, though is considering whether to raise its recommendation to 14.
A five-year action plan accompanying the new framework states that the Department of Justice should “consult on increasing the minimum age of criminal responsibility to 14 years in Northern Ireland” within a year.
“I do not believe that criminalising children as young as 10 is in their best interests,” justice minister Naomi Long said today. “A key action within the framework, therefore, is to engage the public in a debate on this, with the aim of increasing the minimum age of criminal responsibility in Northern Ireland to 14.”
The new framework also sets out plans for the continued delivery of, and investment in, initiatives aimed at diverting young people from the youth justice system at the earliest possible stage and the development of further measures aimed at ensuring custody for children is a last resort.
Mrs Long said: “The vast majority of children in Northern Ireland will thankfully never enter into contact with the youth justice system. For those who do, I am pleased that we now have a framework dedicated to improving their life chances and ensuring they receive the support that every child deserves.”
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