Age Of Accountancy

The age of accountability or the “age of innocence” is a term that refers to children being an inappropriate age to face consequences for their actions. In the story of the six year old male student bringing a weapon to school and shooting his classmate, our legal system claims that he is of an age that will not allow him to face legal repercussions. In this case study, examples of why this theory of innocence in children younger than 7 is a legitimate stance will be discussed. Most states have provisions for determining how a crime was tried in the state. In 16 states, the minimum age for seeing juveniles in a criminal court was fourteen years of age. In Vermont and Kansas the minimum age requirement is ten years of age. All of this being

222) can explain why children are unbalanced in their emotions and demonstrate “poor impulse control” (Berger, 2013, p. 223). This maturation of the brain takes place during the years of two to 12. Berger, 2013 also states that the ability to control impulses and behavior is closely related to the culture in which the child was raised which leads us to the next reason which is maltreatment in the home.
Maltreatment and

275). Children between these ages are not able to control their emotions and reactions to certain situations. It is a practice and developmental maturation known as effortful control. So under the age of seven this control is not yet present. Even though Berger says that temper tantrums should subside and emotions should become more regulated around the age of five, it still takes time to develop and master.
In conclusion, this child demonstrated at his age of six years old the inability to control emotional responses, and the social culture and home life in which he was being raised in. At six years of age his prefrontal cortex is still developing and his inability to master emotional regulation and differentiate between fantasy and reality is obvious in the tragedy that occurred. His parents should therefore be deemed the responsible party for his actions and the law that states any child under the age of seven should fall within the age of innocence is a legitimate claim due to psychological and psychosocial