At what age...

Should the age of criminal responsibility be raised from the present 10 to 12? The Children's Commissioner has suggested it should, and of course under such provisions the killers of Jamie Bulger would have escaped prosecution. I think this is one of those areas were introducing an artificial "line in the sand" misses the point. There will be those under the age of 10 who are quite able to distinguish between right and wrong, just as there will be those over the age of 12 who will not have the psychological or intellectual ability to deal with such concepts. To be just, I think every case would have to be treated on its own merits, the child assessed as an individual, irrespective of age, and the decision to prosecute or not based on that.