Italy debates lowering criminal responsibility age to 14

Italian lawmakers are debating a bill that would introduce a presumption of capacity to understand and will for minors aged 14 to 18, effectively allowing them to be held criminally responsible. The proposal follows a broader public debate sparked by Caritas meetings at the Nisida juvenile detention centre, questioning whether adolescents should be treated as “smaller adults” or as youths needing education and support.

Government data show that only 153 children under 14 were in the care of child‑services offices in 2025, a fraction of the juvenile population, and officials such as Barbara Rosina stress that accountability does not equal impunity. The President of the National Council for Social Assistance (CNOAS) argues that early, continuous, network‑based interventions – involving schools, families, health services and the third sector – are more effective than punitive measures. Critics warn that the reform could increase insecurity and reverse the preventive approach that has made Italy’s juvenile justice system a model abroad.