The mother of James Bulger has criticised Labour’s proposal to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 14, arguing it would undermine justice for victims of serious crimes committed by children. In a letter to The Guardian, Professor Roger Evans, emeritus professor of socio-legal studies at Liverpool John Moores University, supported Lady Hale’s view that prosecuting children under 14 is wrong and urged the government to raise the age of criminal responsibility to at least 14, as is the case in most European countries.
Professor Evans rejected the claim by an unnamed Ministry of Justice spokesperson that setting the age at 10 enables early intervention to prevent reoffending, stating it “flies in the face of the facts on reoffending rates and the mountain of empirical research that demonstrates the opposite.” He cited the 1994 killing of five-year-old Silje Redergård in Norway by two six-year-old boys, which he compared with the 1993 James Bulger case. In Norway, the children were dealt with using a welfare approach, their identities protected, and they were “totally rehabilitated.”
This contrasts sharply with the media response, public outcry, and outcomes for the killers of James Bulger. Professor Evans concluded that it would be to the Labour government’s “enduring shame” if it does not follow Lady Hale’s proposal. The Bulger family has previously opposed such changes, arguing they would diminish accountability for grave crimes.
