Mikl-Leitner seeks criminal responsibility from age 12

Lower Austria Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner is calling for the age of criminal responsibility to be lowered from 14 to 12, citing rising youth crime in Austria, ORF reported.

Figures from the Interior Ministry show that the number of suspected offenders aged 10 to under 14 rose by 9.4 percent last year, to 13,179. Lower Austria has also recently seen cases of serious youth violence, including a robbery in Wiener Neustadt involving a 13-year-old.

“We have to take this development seriously and act early,” Mikl-Leitner said in a statement on Thursday. She said young people willing to use violence should not be ignored, and that anyone who breaks the law should face consequences.

Mikl-Leitner argued that children aged 12 or 13 who commit serious violent offences cannot currently be held criminally responsible, calling that “the wrong signal.” She said the impact on victims was the same whether an offender was 13 or 14.

She said the proposal was not about putting children in prison, but about setting clear boundaries, holding them accountable and preventing further offences. She called for age-appropriate measures, mandatory supervision and appropriate legal options.

The proposal is due to be discussed on Friday at a meeting of Austria’s state governors in Vorarlberg. Vorarlberg Governor Markus Wallner also backed lowering the age on Tuesday.