19.1 History and Current Trends on the Minimum Age of Juvenile Court

In 2019, there were 62,000 children ages 12 years and under who were processed by juvenile courts and almost 10,000 who were placed in juvenile detention centers in the United States. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child has recommended that nations increase their minimum age of criminal responsibility to at least 14 years old. However, in the United States, there is significant variability among states regarding the minimum age, with 24 states having no minimum age and other states ranging from ages 7 to 13 years.
Source: Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Source Type: research