| Comment | Remember the Scottish legal system is entirely separate.
Anyone over 12 in Scotland can be tried in a criminal court for serious offences and will face the same sentencing guidelines as an adult, the only difference is the institutions they go to when convicted. Historically, Scotland has actually been rather severe by international standards when it comes to the criminal responsibility of children- the age of criminal responsibilty was 8 years old up until a few years ago.
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/scotland/law-and-courts/legal-system-s/taking-legal-action-s/young-people-and-the-law-s/
To give you an example, Alisha Macphail's murderer was 16. He's currently serving a life sentence with a 24 year minimum term. |
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