Juvenile delinquency

Children in court: the EU is so different

In the UK, children as young as ten can be prosecuted (symbolic image).

(Bild: APA/Helmut Fohringer (Symbolbild))

In Austria, a lowering of the age of criminal responsibility from 14 is being discussed. In other European countries, the limit is between 8 and 18.

A 12-year-old girl was abused for months by a gang of 17 youths in Vienna. The shocking case revealed a major problem area and led to heated political debates. Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) called for drastic changes to combat or prevent the rise in juvenile crime via the newspaper "Krone". At the center of this is the age of criminal responsibility. In Austria, this is 14 years. Younger teenagers could therefore not be punished sufficiently for offenses such as rape or serious bodily harm. Fierce debates were the result. But how is this practiced in other EU countries? There is a clear trend, but there are also some outliers. Italy, like Austria, Germany, Spain and other countries, has set the limit at 14, while the Nordic countries of Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, Norway and Finland have set it at 15.

In the UK, children as young as ten can be prosecuted (symbolic image).

(Bild: APA/Helmut Fohringer (Symbolbild))

15 years imprisonment for 10-year-olds
This is the most widespread area within the EU. However, there are also other models. In Belgium and Bulgaria, for example, a person is only liable to prosecution at the age of 18 - in exceptional cases even earlier. For example, if a younger person (from 14) can realize the significance and quality of their actions.

The trend in Great Britain is quite different. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, even 10-year-olds can be prosecuted. In Scotland there are sanctions from the age of 8. For 8 to 11-year-olds, it is called "children's hearing". The murder of a two-year-old by two 10-year-olds in Liverpool in 1993 caused quite a stir. The two were ultimately given 15 years in prison. They were released in 2001 and given new identities. In the Netherlands and Ireland, the limit is defined as 12.

In Austria, most experts are against lowering the age of criminal responsibility. Tenor: "Locking up children is useless." FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl, however, has been calling for the age to be lowered to 12 for some time, and in a major "Krone" interview he also considered boot camps for young people based on the US model. There they would know what fear means and learn discipline.

In any case, Karl Nehammer has commissioned Gerhard Karner (Minister of the Interior) and Karoline Edtstadler (Minister of the Constitution) to draw up a reform package. An interim report is due at the end of April.