In a post-briefing on Tuesday, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa announced that the cabinet agreed to increase the age of criminal responsibility from the current 7 years to 12 years.
The age of criminal responsibility refers to the age at which a child is considered to have committed a crime. This is the age at which a person can be convicted of a crime and subjected to a police investigation, potentially resulting in them having a criminal record.
Below the age of criminal responsibility, which currently stands at 7, a child is deemed incapable of having committed a criminal offence. In legal terms, it is referred to as a defence of infancy. This prohibits the prosecution from offering evidence that the child has the capacity to appreciate the nature and wrongfulness of what they had done.
The move to review the age of criminal responsibility upwards comes after the cabinet approved the Chief Justice Bill, 2020. Under the bill, a Child Justice System will be established to deal with errant minors.
Meanwhile, in Scotland, the age of criminal responsibility was raised from 8 to 12 on 31 March 2020 whilst in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the age of responsibility is 10 years. In the Netherlands and Canada, the age of responsibility is 12 years.
Add comment