Northern Ireland: 2023 must be year when we stop criminalising children

Amnesty International calls for Northern Ireland to raise age of criminal responsibility

Northern Ireland currently has one of the lowest ages of criminal responsibility in Europe – just 10 years-old

‘Children belong in schools and playgrounds, not in police cells and prisons’ – Patrick Corrigan

2023 must be the year when Northern Ireland raises the minimum age of criminal responsibility for children. That’s the call from Amnesty International in response to a Department of Justice public consultation.

Patrick Corrigan, Amnesty International’s Northern Ireland Director, said:

“2023 must be the year when Northern Ireland finally raises the age of criminal responsibility. Children belong in schools and playgrounds, not in police cells and prisons.

“The current minimum age of criminal responsibility in Northern Ireland is just 10 years old - the lowest in Europe and much lower than the 14 years which the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child considers to be the very youngest age that a child should be held criminally liable.

“When children are forced through a criminal justice system, their health, wellbeing, and future are put at risk. Punitive approaches simply don’t work. Imprisoning young people entrenches them in the criminal legal system and increases the likelihood of reoffending.

“Amnesty International is strongly supportive of the recommendation from the Department of Justice to raise Northern Ireland’s minimum age of criminal responsibility in line with international standards. To deliver that for our children, we will need to see a restoration of the Assembly and cross-party support for a child-centred change to the law.”