Norway’s lesson in age of criminality

Raising the age of criminal responsibility, favoured by some
charities, would not in itself tackle the problems with the youth
justice system, delegates were told.

Anne-Brita Normann, senior adviser in Norway’s justice ministry,
told a discussion on youth crime that, although the age of criminal
responsibility in Norway was 15, children still started to offend
before they reached that age.

“If you raise the age of criminal responsibility, you must have a
compulsory system to intervene with families,” she said.

The rights of the child took precedence in Norway, Normann said.
Children aged 15 to 18 were dealt with by child welfare and law
enforcement agencies, but under-15s by child welfare services
alone.