Lowering child prison sentences in Hungary to aged 12 wrong, says ombudsman

The government proposal to lower the age of criminal responsibility to 12 is unjustified, the ombudsman for fundamental rights said on Tuesday. The measure, expected to pass before parliament's summer recess starting on July 15, would be enforced from Jan. 2013. Children above the age of 12 would be eligible to serve a prison sentence if found guilty of murder and only after a psychological assessment has been conducted. Mate Szabo told MTI that it should be up to child-care specialists to remedy the problems of anti-social children rather than resorting to criminal sanctions.