Age of criminal responsibility
AGE BELOW WHICH A CHILD IS DEEMED INCAPABLE OF HAVING COMMITTED A CRIMINAL OFFENCE
Defense of infancy; Doli incapax; Age of Accountability; Child imprisonment; Age at which children can be prosecuted; Defence of infancy; Criminal responsibility; Infancy defense; The age of criminal responsibility; Minimum Age of Criminal Responsibility
The age of criminal responsibility is the age below which a child is deemed incapable of having committed a criminal offence. In legal terms, it is referred to as a defence/defense of infancy, which is a form of defense known as an excuse so that defendants falling within the definition of an "infant" are excluded from criminal liability for their actions, if at the relevant time, they had not reached an age of criminal responsibility.