Minimal age of criminal responsibility : was Malta’s recent change a change for the better?

Abstract

This dissertation is focused on the Juvenile Justice System, both in Malta and abroad, with emphasis placed on the Minimal Age of Criminal Responsibility. The first chapter is an introduction, explaining the ins and outs of Juvenile Justice Systems. The second chapter is divided into three subsections, each focusing on an individual country’s Juvenile Justice System. These countries are Malta, England and Canada. Chapter three details the research methods used for this study, while the fourth chapter consists of the findings and analysis of the study. The final chapter consists of a discussion and concluding remarks on how Malta can improve its Juvenile Justice System. The aim of this dissertation was to find out what prompted the recent change in local legislation that lead to the raising of the Minimal Age of Criminal Responsibility and whether this change was beneficial to the to the Maltese Juvenile Justice System. This study finds that the change in Minimal Age of Criminal Responsibility was likely due to general, external pressure for change. This study also finds that there are both positive and negative aspects to the change in legislation.