German Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig (SPD) has rejected lowering the minimum age for criminal prosecution. This comes in the context of an alleged killing by a 12-year-old in Dormagen. Instead, she advocates for youth welfare and family courts.
The debate on lowering the age of criminal responsibility in Germany was sparked by the Dormagen case, in which a 12-year-old boy allegedly stabbed a 14-year-old classmate. In Germany, juveniles can only be prosecuted criminally from the age of 14.
Federal Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig (SPD) spoke out clearly against a reduction in an interview with the Rheinische Post. "Children do not belong in prison or before a criminal court," she said. "In juvenile criminal law, I am clearly against lowering the age of criminal responsibility below 14 years." On the Dormagen incident, Hubig stated: "What happened there is terrible and shocking. But criminal law is no panacea." She emphasized that it is an illusion to think that harsher penalties would deter potential offenders. In cases of serious crimes by children, youth welfare and family courts should take precedence. "It must be about supporting and educating the child to get it on the right track. It is out of place in prison."
In contrast, North Rhine-Westphalia Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) recently called for a debate on lowering the age of criminal responsibility. "We need to gather the facts, and then I am curious myself how to deal with it and solve it. And whether the existing options we have are sufficient to give an answer that satisfies everyone," Reul said.
Hubig also renewed her call for legal limits on social media use by children and youth. "Age restrictions for social media should not be taboo," she said. She announced a new law to protect children in families with domestic violence, which will consider such violence in custody and visitation rights in the future.
