Young criminals: no punishment, but special institutions required!

Young criminals: no punishment, but special institutions required!

Deutschland - The discussion about dealing with delinquent children who are at the age of 14 gains attention. In Austria in particular, the problem of the repeated crimes of children is discussed, while their criminal persecution is not possible due to the current regulations. According to oe24 see experts to set clear limits for children who commit serious crimes. The proposal is to create special facilities for the care of such children instead.

The number of registered crimes in Germany shows a worrying trend. In 2023, over 104,000 children under 14 were recorded, which corresponds to an increase of 12% compared to the previous year. Deutschlandfunk reports that these children are considered "unable to guilt". The criminologist Tobias Singelnstein emphasizes that the current situation can be considered relatively stable compared to 25 years ago, even if the increase is alarming. The discussion about a lowering of the age of punishment is absorbed, especially from city representatives such as the Interior Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, who demands responsibility for younger perpetrators

social responsibility and prevention measures

The debate also shows the social signal that violent crimes, even if they are committed to children, cannot be tolerated. Children aged 11 or 13 who are referred to as "system sprinklers" have sometimes committed a thousand crimes. This requires measures to maintain these children and an adaptation of the legal system in order to react to the current circumstances. In this context, the demand for more means for early detection and combating alienation and radicalization can be seen.

The Federal Youth Ministry in Germany is working on strategies for the prevention of child and youth crime. The cooperation between schools, police, and youth welfare is strengthened in order to counteract the increasing figures. As BMFSFJ informed, most suspects only appear criminal. However, about 5-10% of them, who are classified as intensive offenders, repeatedly serious crimes.

These intensive offenders are often affected by social and psychological problems, such as school problems and a Devianter Freundeskreis. The realization that the prevention of crime and violence has developed qualitatively and quantitatively in the past 20 years is a positive signal, but the challenges remain great. It remains to be seen how political decision -makers react to the increasing figures and what preventive measures are taken to offer children and adolescents perspectives instead of transferring them into a regular criminal system.