Illegal Activities - Chairs of justice ministries oppose lowering the age of criminal responsibility.
In the view of Lower Saxony's Justice Minister Kathrin Wahlmann, kids under 14 years old shouldn't be held accountable for criminal actions. "I caution against making generalizations based on extreme cases. I don't feel like today's youth matures any faster than before," Wahlmann informed the German Press Agency in Hannover.
Justice ministers' heads and state chiefs will gather in Lower Saxony on Wednesday and Thursday.
Wahlmann emphasized, "At the moment, I don't see the need to change the current regulation." There's been a proposal from Baden-Württemberg to seek expert opinions on the notion of insight capability in children. "Right now, I don't see the necessity for that," Wahlmann stated.
Germany's law states that kids aged 14 and older must be responsible for their criminal actions. Baden-Württemberg's Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann previously supported re-evaluating the legal capacity for criminal responsibility. Several weeks ago, he stated the rising number of suspected juveniles as a warning sign. "We need to take this seriously," the Green politician mentioned in mid-April. "It's crucial to examine the underlying reasons."
The 14-year-old age threshold has been around since 1923, and it's time to scientifically examine if the maturation process and subsequent development of understanding and self-control have shifted in the current generation, emphasized Kretschmann.
