LOWERING THE AGE OF CRIMINAL LIABILITY: CHILDREN WILL ONLY LOSE
THEIR CHANCE IN SOCIETY
Safety is still one of our priority, but with today’s world everyone of us feel
unsafe because of the growing numbers of crimes committed by people and worst by
teenagers aged below 18 years old.
With this, lowering the age of criminal liability from 18 years old to 9 or
13 years old is still an ongoing talks and different debates have been made in the
Philippines to address this issue. While some agreed with it, I am against with it and I
firmly stand that criminal liability should not be lowered to 9 or 13 years old.
Applying the Verstehen or to grasp by insight, it is important to consider or to
understand the subjective experiences of the children involved in crimes.
According to American Psychological Association, adolescents' brains are still
maturing, particularly in areas related to impulse control, decision-making, and
understanding the long-term consequences of their behavior. So, children below 18
years are still in a process of adolescents where they still developed their thinking
ability as well as their decision-making ability. People at their age are still not
matured enough to consider their actions and to rethink their decision before
committing such crime.
Moreover, research consistently shows that children from disadvantaged
backgrounds where they came from a poor family are more likely to engage in
delinquent behavior due to lack of access to education, limited opportunities,
exposure to violence, and inadequate support systems. Therefore, instead of solely
focusing on punitive measures, addressing systemic inequalities and providing
support services to youths that most likely to commit crimes are essential steps in
preventing them to commit crimes.
Furthermore, lowering the age of criminal liability is against in International
Human Rights Standard such as United Nations Convention on the Rights of the
Child (UNCRC) where they emphasizes that children committed criminal acts should
be treated and handle with respect, dignity and consider their feelings. Because if
children at the age of 9 or 13 years old will be convicted, they will lose their chances
of rehabilitation and reintegration into society.
Yes, some agrees with lowering the age of criminal liability mainly because
they want justice, but we still have to consider the consequences if children will be
convicted at the young age. Them being convicted will only expose them more to
violence, exploitation, trauma, and it will worsen their criminal behavior rather than
breaking it.
To sum it up, I am still firmly against of the lowering the age of criminal liability
to 9 or 13 years old because I believe that children at that age are still young to be
expose in more violence. Instead of convicting them, government should prioritize
the prevention and intervention and should also creates more program that can help
children to grow and invest more in education, social services, and community-based
programs, so that we can create a society where all children have the opportunity to
thrive and fulfill their potential, rather than committing a crime that could hinder their
success in life and lose their chance to prove their worth in the society.
