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Youth Justice
The Committee said the Government must:
108 Make the age of criminal responsibility higher.
The age of criminal responsibility is the age when the law says a person must take full responsibility for the crime they have committed. At the moment the age of criminal responsibility in Scotland is 8 years old.
109 Find alternatives to locking up children who are in trouble with the law.
110 Make sure that children are only locked up as a last resort and for the shortest possible time.
111 Make sure no child is locked up in a prison with adults.
112 Make sure all children who are locked up have a legal right to education.
113 Make sure children can never be tried in court as an adult, no matter how serious the crime.
114 Make sure the rights of child victims and child witnesses are protected at all stages of the criminal justice system.
The criminal justice system is the way people who are accused of committing a crime are dealt with. It includes the police, the courts, prisons, and the probation service.
115 Carry out an independent review of ASBOs and aim to stop them being given to children.
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