Children convicted of homicide: criminal justice responses

Session Submission Type: Pre-arranged Panel

Abstract

In December 2024, two 12-year-old boys were convicted of the murder of a 19-year-old man in England. The boys were among the youngest children to be convicted of murder in recent years. They were sentenced to life imprisonment and were ordered to spend a minimum of ten years in custody, before they could be considered for release. England and Wales stands out as one of the only jurisdictions in western Europe where life sentences can be imposed on children aged between 10 and 17, despite one of the principal aims of sentencing children being the welfare of the child. While the practise of sentencing children to life imprisonment is reducing around the world, this panel considers the ongoing use of life sentences for children convicted of homicide in England and Wales and considers alternative responses in other European countries. In it, the panellists will explore: the purported purpose of life sentences and alternative legal responses to children who are convicted of homicide; the experiences of children sentenced to life; the implications for professionals working with such children; and therapeutic responses, developed to support children facing years, or even decades, in custody.

Subtopic

• Topic 5: Social Control and Criminal Justice / Juvenile Justice and Children’s Rights (Juvenile Justice WG)

Chair

• Susie Hulley, University of Cambridge

Individual Presentations

• Comparative Analysis of Juvenile Homicide Offenders: A Review of Sentencing and Dispositions in Belgium vs. England and Wales - F. Jeane Gerard, University of Westminster

• Child lifers: Developments in law and policy and the need for a distinct approach by criminal justice professionals - Laura Janes, London South Bank University; Susie Hulley, University of Cambridge

• A clinical perspective on therapeutic work with child lifers: themes, challenges and opportunities - Celia Sadie, Independent Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Organisational Consultant

• Life sentences for children in England and Wales - Susie Hulley, University of Cambridge