June 27th, 2012

Justice ministry rejects UNICEF criticism of new criminal code provisions on youthful offenders

By

The new criminal code’s provision concerning the age of criminal responsibility fully complies with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and so the recent protest by UNICEF Hungary was completely groundless, the Ministry of Justice said on Tuesday.

The convention does not specify any age limit for criminal responsibility, delegating this right to the particular member states, the ministry said in a statement.

UNICEF Hungary on Tuesday criticised the new criminal code’s provision on lowering the age of criminal responsibility.

The country’s new criminal code that parliament approved on Monday lowers the age of criminal responsibility from 14 to 12 years in the categories of premeditated homicide, voluntary manslaughter and bodily harm leading to death or resulting in life-threatening injuries.

Under the new code, the most severe sentence for 12-14 year old offenders is to serve one to four years in a correction facility.

The ministry said that several European countries had set a lower age limit for criminal responsibility.

It added that the new criminal code would provide stronger protection for children. Profiteering from child prostitution has become a separate crime; perpetrators of crimes against children will be banned from professions related to supervision, care and education of children; and endangering the psychical development of children has become a crime, too.

Erik D'Amato (@erikdamato) is publisher and editor-in-chief of the All Hungary Media Group.
Topics
Share
  • spectator

    - And I thought that “Kindergarten Cop” was a low fiction…

    Pretty soon you will see ads with text like
    “Nanny with jailer experience needed..” and “Handcuffs from size 4-12 in any color!”

    The future is bright, Ladies and Gentlemen!

    Let alone, that Darwin was obviously wrong: evolution can go backward, at least in Hungary, as it seems.

    • Leto. مؤدّب

      BTW, the two ten year old murderers in Liverpool, England were tried as adults in the James Bulger case. (I can only approve that)

      -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_James_Bulger

    • Leto. مؤدّب

      A two year old news from Britain:

      BEGIN QUOTE
      Calls to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 12 have been rejected by the government.

      England’s children’s commissioner Maggie Atkinson had told the Times that most criminals under 12 did not fully understand their actions.

      But the Ministry of Justice said those over 10 knew the difference “between bad behaviour and serious wrongdoing”.
      END QUOTE

      -http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8565619.stm

  • Leto. مؤدّب

    @rotten postcommie bastard:

    UNICEF should criticize these countries instead.

    England and Wales: age 10
    Mexico: 6-12
    United States: 6-12
    India: 7
    Switzerland: 10
    Australia: 10
    South Africa: 10

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defense_of_infancy

  • Pete H.

    @relies on wiki too much

    It’s not UNICEF, but UNICEF Hungary which would not typically comment on the affairs of other countries.

    And besides UNICEF has and does criticize other countries with low age limits.

    Here’s just one example
    -http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/7760906/Age-of-criminal-responsibility-in-England-is-among-lowest-in-Europe.html

    Your knee-jerk reactions to any criticism of Hungary is infantile.

    • Leto. مؤدّب

      What is truly infantile are your desperate attempts at bashing my country all the time, you foreign jerk.
      Have you not found the anti-Semitic theme here yet? :D

      • Pete H.

        Get a grip, it’s a political site not a Fidesz cheerleading site. I am hardly bashing Hungary, but rather certain aspects of its politics. So, stop exaggerating.

        • Leto. مؤدّب

          “I am hardly bashing Hungary”

          :D
          You’re a shameless liar like Gyurcsány or that Rumanian jerk calling himself “get real”.

          Anyway, the point is Hungary’s lowering the age of criminal responsibility to 12 is absolutely fine and you should shoot your filthy mouth off at other countries instead.

          • Pete H.

            No liar, but you certainly are an insecure political partisan. Do you think Hungary is such a fragile state that it can’t stand or even benefit from criticism?

            You had no trouble criticizing Hungarian politics when the socialists were in power. Were you bashing Hungary? Of course not. No more than I am “bashing” Hungary by criticizing the current ruling party and their Jobbo sidekicks.

            And why would I criticize other countries on a site dedicated to Hungarian politics? I leave my critiques of the US and Obama on the appropriate sites.

          • …justasking

            @Pete H,

            “Get a grip, it’s a political site not a Fidesz cheerleading site’

            And, since Fidesz is a POLITICAL PARTY, and this being a POLITICAL WEBSIT…cheer-leading for ones team IS appropriate. D’oh!!!
            ————–

            ‘I am hardly bashing Hungary, but rather certain aspects of its politics. So, stop exaggerating’

            You’re delusional and Leto is not exaggerating.

            Your attitude and comments towards Hungary, are in-fact, inline with an abusive father/husband way of thinking…

            ‘Believe me when I say (STOMP, STOMP, STOMP!)I’m only doing it for your own good (PUNCH, PUNCH, PUNCH) and because I love you (WHACK, WHACK, WHACK!!!). Don’t worry, I’ll get you to the hospital; only someone who loves you would make sure you get the proper medical attention in times like this!

            Off the top of my head, I cannot remember who’s quote this is…none the less, one you should take to heart…

            ‘You do not lead, by hitting people over the head-that’s assault, not leadership’

  • wolfi

    @Pete H.:

    It’s no use trying to argue with leto – he always uses these letonian logical fallacies (Trademark pending) , probably does still like he used to do in kindergarden :

    The other boy did the same – why am I being punished ?

    There is a detailed description of these fallacies here: -http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/

    The funniest example which also refers to leto when he talks about Lantos or Soros or … :

    Stalin and Pol Pot and Gyurcsany say that two plus two equals four – so you expect me to believe this ?

    • Pete H.

      Not a matter of arguing with him, but rather correcting his falsehoods for the wider Poltics.hu audience.

      Regarding Lantos, just more of Leto’s unsubstantiated smears. He is unable to make fact-based arguments, so he relies on libel.

More content from Hungary's leading foreign-language media network
About Politics.hu | Become an All Hungary Member | Newsletters | Contact Us | Advertise With Us
All content © 2004-2013 The All Hungary Media Group. Articles, comments and other information on the All Hungary Media Group's network of sites are provided "as is" without guarantees, warranties, or representations of any kind, and the opinions and views expressed in such articles and columns are not necessarily those of the All Hungary Media Group.