Heinous acts committed by children under the age of 14 who have already committed murder are always shocking. For example, on Tuesday in Finland, where a twelve-year-old boy shot at his classmates at a school. A twelve-year-old child was also killed.
Such acts are shocking. A 12-year-old child was killed and two others seriously injured in a gun attack by a 12-year-old at a school near the Finnish capital Helsinki. It is unclear what happens to the suspect, who has already been arrested, as is the background to the crime.
While in Austria, as in many other EU countries, criminal liability begins at the age of 14, in Finland, Sweden and Denmark the age limit is only 15 years. In most EU countries, suspected perpetrators, such as in Finland on Tuesday, are not prosecuted because they are not yet capable of insight and control from a social and educational perspective and are therefore not responsible.
Youth crime is increasing slightly
In Austria, the debate about criminal liability flared up again after the gang rape of a 12-year-old, in which some of the perpetrators were not yet 14 years old. The call for a lowering of the age of criminal responsibility became louder again.
A study by the Institute for Criminology and Legal Policy shows that youth crime in Finland has fallen noticeably since the 1990s and has largely remained at a stable level in recent years. However, recently there has been a slight increase. Both police director Seppo Kolehmainen and Minister of the Interior Maria Ohisalo (Green Alliance) expressed their concerns last year about the increase in youth crime during the corona pandemic.
Source: Krone
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