刑事责任年龄历史上根植于“无犯罪能力”（doli incapax）的法律原则——即认为不成熟的人无法作恶——在各国之间差异巨大。然而，最近由于公众对未成年人犯下的备受瞩目的罪行感到愤怒，多个国家的政客已开始降低这一年龄。例如，阿根廷将刑事责任年龄从16岁降至14岁，瑞典计划降低针对严重罪行的责任年龄，北爱尔兰最近则阻止了一项将其刑事责任年龄从10岁（这是欧洲并列最低的年龄）提高的提案。这些转变是由令人震惊的事件推动的，例如在印度尼西亚一名12岁的孩子杀死了她的母亲，以及在哥伦比亚一名15岁的孩子刺杀了总统候选人。

帮派故意招募年幼的儿童作为廉价且易受摆布的代理人，因为他们的脑部仍在发育且缺乏成年人的判断力，而且犯罪分子计算出未成年人的身份可以保护他们免受起诉。然而，降低刑事责任年龄既不公正也无效果。当丹麦在2010年将这一年龄从15岁降至14岁时，青少年犯罪率实际上有所上升，促使该国逆转了这一政策。同样，当英国降低责任年龄时，帮派仅仅通过招募更年轻的儿童来适应这一变化。此外，起诉年轻的未成年人往往会确保他们转变为终身犯罪分子；在澳大利亚昆士兰州，其刑事责任年龄为10岁，高达96%的获释儿童在一年内重新犯罪。

一种更有效的策略是康复和早期干预，重点关注促使儿童走向犯罪的社会和教育因素。在英国，青少年司法系统中有20%的儿童存在学习困难，而在瑞典，接受严重犯罪调查的儿童中有一半在12岁之前就已经被向社会服务机构通报了异常行为。与其惩罚儿童，不如将公共资源用于解决这些早期预警信号并提供指导。虽然应当对剥削未成年人的成年人施加严厉的刑事处罚，但针对儿童的首要目标必须仍然是康复，以防止他们成为顽固的成年犯罪分子。

The age of criminal responsibility, historically rooted in the legal principle of *doli incapax*—the belief that the immature are incapable of evil—varies widely across nations. Recently, however, politicians in multiple countries have begun lowering this age, responding to public outrage over high-profile crimes committed by minors. For example, Argentina lowered its age from 16 to 14, Sweden plans to reduce the age for serious offenses, and Northern Ireland recently blocked a proposal to raise its age of responsibility from 10, which is the joint-lowest in Europe. These shifts are fueled by shocking incidents, such as a 12-year-old killing her mother in Indonesia and a 15-year-old assassinating a presidential candidate in Colombia.

Gangs deliberately recruit young children as cheap, pliable agents because their brains are still developing and they lack adult judgment, and also because criminals calculate that minor status shields them from prosecution. However, lowering the age of criminal responsibility is both unjust and ineffective. When Denmark lowered its age from 15 to 14 in 2010, juvenile crime rates actually increased, prompting the country to reverse the policy. Similarly, when Britain lowered the age of responsibility, gangs merely adapted by recruiting even younger children. Moreover, prosecuting young minors often guarantees their transition into lifetime criminals; in Queensland, Australia, where the age of responsibility is 10, a striking 96% of released children reoffend within a year.

A more effective strategy is rehabilitation and early intervention, focusing on the social and educational factors that drive children toward crime. In Britain, 20% of children in the youth justice system have learning difficulties, and in Sweden, half of those investigated for serious crimes had already been flagged to social services before the age of 12. Rather than punishing children, public resources should be directed toward addressing these early warning signs and providing mentorship. While severe criminal penalties should be imposed on the adults who exploit minors, the primary goal for children must remain rehabilitation to prevent them from becoming hardened adult criminals.

Source: Who is capable of evil?

Subtitle: Stop lowering the age of criminal responsibility

Dateline: Jul 09, 2026 06:30 AM