LONDON, Jan. 16 (UPI) -- Experts said Monday that the age of criminal responsibility in Britain should be raised from 10 to 12.
A report put out by the Center for Social Justice, said that at the age of 10, children's brains are not mature enough to gauge the consequences of their actions.
In a statement, CSJ said that to raise the age immediately for serious offenses such as rape and murder would be "politically naive," saying instead that it should be raised over time as family and juvenile courts are merged.
The Sun reports that Justice Minister Crispin Blunt Monday dismissed bids to raise the criminal age.
The report says that raising the age would prevent further future delinquency by protecting children from the stigma of the "offender" label. Gavin Poole, CSJ executive director, told The Sun: "This should not be seen as a get-out clause"
The report also called for a sharp cut in the 5,000 children between the ages of 10 and 17 that are jailed every year, saying that child welfare services, not prison, should prevent juvenile crime.
