Catalogue question 263 · Question catalogue in force since 2024-07-01
In Germany, young people are criminally responsible from age 14. This means: young people aged 14 and older who violate criminal law …
- are punished. Correct
- are treated like adults.
- share the punishment with their parents.
- are not punished.
Why — for every option
- A — Correct: from age 14, criminal responsibility applies; young people can be held criminally responsible for offences and punished under the Youth Courts Act (JGG) — however, with more lenient, education-oriented sanctions than for adults.
- B — Young people are dealt with under youth criminal law, which has its own, more lenient and education-oriented rules than adult criminal law — it is not identical to how adults are treated.
- C — A sentence is imposed personally and is not "shared" with the parents; German criminal law does not recognise collective family liability.
- D — The opposite is true: from age 14, young people can indeed be held criminally liable.
Source: www.gesetze-im-internet.de
Last checked: · Question catalogue in force since 2024-07-01 · Every figure on this page is checked against its primary source.