Top prosecutor backs lowering age of criminal responsibility to 13

Juvenile crime is not on the rise, but its nature is changing, with children shifting from theft to violent offences, including murder, Supreme State Prosecutor Lenka Bradáčová said in a debate on Czech Television on Sunday.

If the age of criminal responsibility were lowered, she would support reducing it from the current 15 to 13 years. The Justice Ministry is considering such a change, which could apply, for example, to offences punishable by exceptional sentences in the Czech Republic.

Justice Minister Jeroným Tejc told Czech Television that he plans to present the proposal in January.