NCJ Number
166266
Date Published
1996
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This paper discusses the long term outcomes for children who kill in England, Wales and Scotland.
Abstract
In England and Wales there is a mandatory sentence of detention at Her Majesty's pleasure for all those under 18 who are convicted of murder, but for manslaughter any sentence is possible. It is also possible that youngsters who kill are not involved in criminal proceedings at all, which must be the case for those under the age of criminal responsibility. During the period 1972 to 1993, 113 of the 1,575 persons released from prison on life license were under 18 when they received their life sentence, 71 for murder, 21 for manslaughter, and the remainder for other grave crimes. By the end of 1993, 27 of the 113 had been reconvicted of a grave offense, recalled, or given a further life sentence; this is a comparatively low rate of reconviction. Three factors are likely to affect the reconviction of children who kill: (1) the number of convictions which the offender had prior to the conviction for homicide; (2) the nature of the offense, in particular the relationship between victim and offender; and (3) the nature of the help offered. It is right to detain young people who have killed for as long as authorities consider that there is a danger of their committing another serious offense. But all of the indications are that very few of them would do so. Closed establishments, whether secure child care accommodation or in the prison system, are not the best setting for a young person to mature and grow into a responsible independent adult. Tables