[HIGHLIGHTS] “Childhood perpetrators find out about criminal responsibility rules”: Politicians demand punishments from the age of 12

The police crime statistics for 2023 recorded around 104,000 suspicious children under the age of 14. Around 177,000 suspects were identified among 14 to 18 year olds, 17 percent more than 2019.

The CDU is calling for a debate about changing criminal law, experts suspect populism. Instead, the causes of youth crime should be examined, says Torsten Verrel, legal scholar at the LMU in Munich. The initiative is always dug out of the junk room of conservative legal politics, says Ralf Kölber from the Center for Criminological Research in Saxony. “When the battered piece is old, the opportunity to work is always old,” says Torsten Verrel of the Rheinische Rundforschungszentrale (RZS) in Berlin. The RZS is a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing crime in Germany and around the world. For confidential support call the Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90, visit a local Samaritans branch or see www.samaritans.org.