"Youth crime is on the rise..." #Crime #Children #DavidLammy #StormandAlexis

Hinzugefügt: 2026-05-24

[00:00:00]David Lammy said that the review into youth justice would consider whether the current laws are reflecting our modern understanding of childhood and development.

[00:00:08]>> However, it is worth noting that a change in the law would have potentially excluded children such as John Venibals and Robert Thompson, the 10-year-old killers of James Bulier, in a case that shocked the nation in 1993.

[00:00:24]Now, critics, including the mother of James Bulier, say the change would be a big mistake. So, where do you stand? Let us know your thoughts. Um, Lynn, it's a tricky one, but it's fair to say that we seem to have one of the lowest ages of criminal responsibility when we look at similar countries.

[00:00:44]>> Yeah, I think when we look at sentencing and how we handle or deal with criminality when it comes to children, I think we do have it right. We don't try children as adults. There is a distinct difference between the sentencing guidelines and uh as well as punishment.

[00:01:01]And I think for the argument that the child's brain hasn't developed is for the birds because our brain as humans don't really develop till 32. So why don't we raise it to 25? Why don't we raise it to 28? And then we have to look at the victims. We're seeing that youth crime is on the rise. Um and I think it's uh not good for children if we just don't let them understand accountability from that stage. And there is so much deaths when it comes to children now, murders, robberies and what were what would we do with these children? The ones who are committing these crimes, they need to be rehabilitated. Yes, they need to be punished as well, but they need to be prevented from committing far more heinous crimes as they get older.

[00:01:48]And the only way to do that is if we do uh allow them to enter the justice system.

[00:01:53]>> Okay, Bobby, do you agree?

[00:01:54]>> So, I'm torn on this because I'm someone that's been a secondary teacher for a decade in the last couple years working with primary children. So, children from five all the way up to 18. And I know that children do make mistakes. It's part of the process of growing up. And the challenge is where when they make mistakes and the mistakes harm other people physically whether it's being stabbed or terrorizing a neighborhood.

[00:02:14]So there are real harms done on people.

[00:02:16]So while I'm someone I always say actually we should try to protect childhood and give young people the chance to make mistakes. If the mistakes damage someone else's life perhaps permanently then I feel is the law should be tough on them and and that if that means not raising the age of that sort of responsibility keep it the same.

[00:02:31]Well, one of the arguments though is that look, you mentioned rehabilitation and no one's arguing that these children shouldn't be uh dealt with, helped, rehabilitated because they are going to continue to be members of our society whether they get whatever the punishment is. But a lot of people saying look if you're going to criminalize someone from the age of 10 you are severely reducing their opportunities and their chances to turn their life around.