Lower age of accountability

Kids and crimes. They should not go together. They just shouldn’t. But here in the Philippines, they do. More and more crimes are perpetuated by children ages 10-15 all over the country. And these are not the slap-in-the-wrist shoplifting crimes, but the heinous ones like rape, kidnapping, even murder. Brought to attention by media, kids were caught by a CCTV camera pouncing on a taxi cab caught in the routine traffic of EDSA. Several kids opened the doors, punching the driver. When the driver gave chase, other children then loot the cab. Systematic, planned, cunning. Children do not do this. They stay at home or play jackstone, “patintero” or “tumbang-preso”!

If ever these kids are caught, the dilemma of what to do with them sets in. The law states that children 15 years and below cannot be prosecuted for the crimes they commit. Instead, they are reverted back to their parents, who are tasked to discipline them as they see fit. Right. So if your daughter is gang-raped by a group of ten fourteen year-olds, tough luck, but the law states they are untouchable. You are left with scenarios from movies like “Death Wish” and “The Punisher” fomenting in your head!

But really, when is the right age of accountability? When can one say that a person already knows right from wrong, law from crime? From what I’ve seen on the videos at EDSA, these kids KNOW what they are doing. The KNOW what they are getting into. They KNOW how to execute their plans, and they KNOW the consequences. That’s why they run, isn’t it? So why can’t these juvenile criminals be punished for the wrongs that they KNOW?

In other countries, there is such a thing as juvenile courts, and juvenile centers where minors are tried and convicted. Here, we have the DSWD for those with nowhere to go, but that isn’t exactly jail, or even punishment. I believe it is time to review the law concerning minors. I believe that when a person knows that what he is doing is wrong, by the mere fact that he escapes authority, is indication that the law should already apply to him. You don’t run away if you don’t know what you did was wrong. It is as simple as that. If there are syndicates that are behind these children, they could always say no to them. If they accept, and they know it is wrong, then they have willingly made their choice. Just like drug mules. The whole argument of knowing is key to whether the law applies or not.

The age of legal accountability must be lowered. At what age will be the subject of debate for sure. But one thing is certain. Children who take to crime, should no longer be able to hide behind a law that is clearly outdated. Children definitely grow up faster than before. Applying the law to them early on may prevent them from going into crime. It is time to instill in them, that they are better off playing “tumbang-preso,” than landing in a “preso” for real.