Petitions/Stop criminalising kids - raise the age of criminal responsibility to 18
StatusClosed
Opened19 May 2025
Closes19 Nov 2025
Government response
Parliamentary debateNot eligible
Milestones

Raise the age of criminal responsibility to 18, to match the age when we can vote in elections.

We think the criminalisation of children as young as 10 is a stain on our national life. We think young children going to court, imprisoning them in Young Offenders institutions, sentencing them for along time for childhood acts, and naming and shaming in the media is wrong. We feel children with criminal records are scarred for life. You cannot vote until 18 so we think you should not be subject to criminal law until the same age. Educate. Understand. Treat. Support. Release.

10,000
100,000

Constituency engagement ranking

Afzal Khan
1Afzal Khan MP
Manchester Rusholme
2
Joy Morrissey
2Joy Morrissey MP
Beaconsfield
1
Liam Conlon
3Liam Conlon MP
Beckenham and Penge
1
Tom Hayes
4Tom Hayes MP
Bournemouth East
1
Siân Berry
5Siân Berry MP
Brighton Pavilion
1
Callum Anderson
6Callum Anderson MP
Buckingham and Bletchley
1
Jess Brown-Fuller
7Jess Brown-Fuller MP
Chichester
1
Sarah Jones
8Sarah Jones MP
Croydon West
1
Suella Braverman
9Suella Braverman MP
Fareham and Waterlooville
1
Jon Pearce
10Jon Pearce MP
High Peak
1
Stop criminalising kids - raise the age of criminal responsibility to 18 — Petitions