Protections for children before the law: An empirical analysis of the age of criminal responsibility, the abolition of doli incapax and the merits of a developmental immaturity defence in England and Wales

What is it about?

This article examines the legal protections that are put in place to ensure fair and just court responses to very young children who commit a serious criminal offence. It examines at what age a child should be held legally responsible for a criminal act and what other safeguards should be introduced to ensure fair responses for young children before the law.

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Why is it important?

This article is unique in that it draws on interviews conducted with members of the English criminal justice system to reveal their views on the age of criminal responsibility, the now abolished doll incapax and the proposed defence of developmental immaturity. This article provides a timely examination of an area of law that is currently the subject of political debate.