Punishing younger children 'not solution' to teen crime
Lee Soo-jung, a professor in the Kyonggi University criminal psychology department, says teens are vulnerable to SNS based crimes. Korea Times graphic by Bae So-young
By Jung Da-min
Under the law, if a person is aged 13 or under, he/she can virtually get away with murder.
The public wants the law to be changed after minors have been involved in serious crimes. A recent petition by the mother of a girl who was gang raped drew more 300,000 supporters on the presidential website, obligating President Moon Jae-in to act.
Minors aged 19 or under face lighter penalties for their crimes while those under 14 are exempt from criminal punishment. Children under 10 are not punishable at all.
One often-suggested possible solution is to lower the punishable age from 14 to 13.
But a criminal psychologist disagrees strongly with this.
Lee Soo-jung.
“Imagine a 13-year-old boy or girl going to jail, not an institution for protection and reformation,” said Lee Soo-jung, a professor at Kyonggi University. “What would he or she learn there, when surrounded by older criminals who have committed more serious crimes?”
She said teenage crime was due to social changes.
“After the country went through financial crisis in late 1990s and early 2000s, the traditional concept of a patriarchy-based extended family pretty much collapsed,” Lee said. “Many children have been exposed to a vulnerable environment without protection from their parents and the government has not offered appropriate measures.”
She said the criminal activity was a result of this social situation combined with the growth of the internet and social media.
“Restricting access to the internet for those who committed crimes could be one measure,” Lee said. “Many other countries are implementing this to prevent additional crimes.”
She also said the average wait for a trial was too long.
“Young people often forget their purported crimes during this period ― they repeat the offences and fall into a spiral,” she said.