“Catching them young” – some reflections on the meaning of the age of criminal responsibility in England and Wales
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the tension between government protestations that youth justice policy is evidence-led and what the evidence implies in the context of the age of criminal responsibility.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper takes the form of a conceptual analysis of government policy and the evidence base.
Findings
The paper concludes that the current low age of criminal responsibility in England and Wales can be understood as a manifestation of the influence of underclass theory on successive governments.
Research limitations/implications
The paper is not based on primary research.
Practical implications
The arguments adduced help to explain the reluctance of government to countenance any increase in the age of criminal responsibility.
Social implications
The analysis might help inform approaches adopted by youth justice policy makers, practitioners and academics with an interest in seeking a rise in the age of criminal responsibility.
Originality/value
The paper offers an original analysis of government intransigence on an important social issue.
Keywords
Citation
Bateman, T. (2014), "“Catching them young” – some reflections on the meaning of the age of criminal responsibility in England and Wales", Safer Communities, Vol. 13 No. 3, pp. 133-142. https://doi.org/10.1108/SC-05-2014-0008
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2014, Emerald Group Publishing Limited