NLJ this week: Raising the age bar

Writing in NLJ this week, Kirsty Brimelow KC, chair of the Bar Council, says developmental neuroscience, psychology and international standards all support reform. She argues England and Wales are outliers in Europe and that criminalisation should give way to diversion, rehabilitation and welfare-based intervention.

Citing evidence that early justice involvement increases reoffending, she writes: ‘The measure of a justice system lies not in how early it punishes children but in how wisely it protects their future.’