Minimum Age of Criminal Responsibility - Islam, Pakistan, World and Psychology.

Abstract

This article dwells into the explanation of the word “crime” with regard to the meaning attached to it and the intrinsic natural understanding or restricting force which puts restraint on the behavior of the human beings in relation to the commission of the acts considered as crimes. The article further extends the deliberation to the minimum age of criminal responsibility; how different Islamic schools of thought see the matter and what the laws of Pakistan and different countries of the world consider as the minimum age of criminal responsibility. The article also analyzes the matter from the lens of psychology to understand the development of the mind of a child and the changes it goes through in terms of emotions, intelligence and maturity with the growth of the child. The purpose of this writing is to deeply apprehend the matter of minimum age of criminal responsibility from different angles and to determine what should be the approach of the law in this regard for complete justice and to avoid any possible excess or injustice.