NT Age of Criminal Responsibility is Lowered to 10: Our View

This week, the NT Government made a controversial decision. They've lowered the age of criminal responsibility from 12 to 10 years old. That's right—children as young as 10 can now be held responsible for crimes. In summary, this means young children can be arrested, charged, and dragged through the court system, just like adults. Unsurprisingly, the public and legal professionals have backlashed against the recent NT age of criminal responsibility.

In fact, legal experts, community leaders, and advocates spoke out against it. The idea of holding children this young accountable in a legal sense feels unjust. Additionally, it is out of touch with what we know about child development.