Advanced Search
Search Tips
Date Lodged: 06 January 2021
Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to urgently raise the criminal age of responsibility to a minimum age of 14.
Petition History:
Summary
13 January 2021: The Committee agreed to close the petition under Rule 15.7 of Standing Orders on the basis that amendments to increase the age of criminal responsibility to 14 and 16 were rejected during the passage of the Age of Criminal Responsibility (Scotland) Act 2019; the Scottish Government has confirmed that reviewing the age of criminal responsibility is high priority; and Scottish Ministers must review the operation of the Act within three years of the commencement of section 1. The Committee also agreed to write to the Cabinet Secretary for Justice. Link to Official Report of Meeting 13 January 2021
Written submissions
PE1847/A: Scottish Government submission of 16 December 2020 (66KB pdf)
PE1847/B: Petitioner submission of 6 January 2021 (122KB pdf)
Show more comments
Show less comments
Comments (8)
Given what we now know about the way in which our brains develop, I could hardly believe we are so far behind in this. About time we raised the voting age as well.
Andrew Fraser
18:41 on 19 Dec 2020
At 12 years old my young mind had been educated via family, friends, peers and the education system to know right from wrong, anywhere on this planets, accepted there may be mitigating circumstances, whereby a child should not be prosecuted.
Roger Green
3:28 on 14 Dec 2020
This change is overdue. Scotland should look like a mature and caring jurisdiction. In this respect, it does not. There are provisions in place that, if adapted, would easily embrace this change. Health, education, social care and justice bodies already work constructively to nurture and assist young people in difficulty. I feel sure that they would cope with this change.
Alexander Cubie Carmichael
19:09 on 11 Dec 2020
A fair and balanced approach to understanding the legal aspects of age and acceptability to criminal responsibility.
Andrew Jones
13:13 on 02 Dec 2020
Atrocities
Jim Berrington
8:11 on 28 Nov 2020
Bring Scottish law up to date (a patriot)
Charles Clark
21:19 on 26 Nov 2020
This issue needs addressed.
Marti Morrison
18:39 on 26 Nov 2020
Time for an urgent national debate on this issue.
Barry Donnan
16:52 on 26 Nov 2020
Help promote this petition through the following websites.
92
View all
