Robin Jacob L.

Traballo 7 February 2019

11B Sir Serra

Case Study of Lowering the Minimum Age of Criminal Responsibility (Sociobiology)

(Definition of terms)
Sociobiology explores the way in which human biology affects how humans create culture.
This only means that emphasis is given to the way our body is physically built to respond to things
that are happening around us. It is rooted from the theory of evolution in which it is believed that
the physical traits and genetic changes of humans change as a result of natural selection and the
survival of the fittest.

The age of criminal responsibility is the age in which a person is deemed legally liable
for their action. In other words, it is the age in which a person can be charged with crimes and
arrested.

The Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2016 protects children aged 15 and under at the
time of the commission of the offense from criminal liability. However, they shall be subjected to
an intervention program. A child above 15 years but below eighteen 18 years of age are also
exempted from criminal liability and are subjected to an intervention program, unless he/she has
acted with discernment.

(Case Study)
In the past, the Philippines has encountered multiple crimes punishable by the law, done
by children aged 15 below. 1.72% of the crimes in the Philippines are committed by children. This
may range from theft, physical injury, and municipal & city ordinance violations. However, due
to the age of the criminal, as they are children, they are protected by the Juvenile Justice and
Welfare Act of 2016 from being arrested. This prompted the house of representatives of the
Philippines to believe that lowering the minimum age of criminal responsibility to 9 would lessen
the crime rate in the Philippines.
 Although the Philippines may encounter children do unlawful acts and get away with it, it
is also substantial that the house of representatives consider the plausible ground or reasons as to
why children do these acts or the circumstances they were brought in.

Each child has his/her own needs, like everyone else, but more than everyone else. Children
need enough time and proper nourishment to be able to grow as a person and discern what is good
from what is bad. The decision making skills of a child only fully develops and peaks from 12 to
18 years old.

With the current situation of the Philippines, not every child gets to grow up with the same
biological and social sustenance. Some children have little to no food to eat and sustain themselves.
Some children experience trauma from external factors that shape their way of thinking early on
in their lives or even before they were born. This may lead to a deficiency in mental capacity,
delaying and damaging the development of reason in a child’s mind. Some children just grew up
with an environment or a set of people that influenced them to do such actions. Without proper
guidance, they would not be able to decide knowledgably and responsibly for their actions. By
lowering the minimum age of criminal responsibility to 9, this would make children without proper
discernment or reason vulnerable to judgement.

Imprisonment should aim to rehabilitate the minds of its prisoners. By imposing such
conditions to children, this may lead them even further to the life of crime by exposing them to
such environments and to trauma.

The law should be just. Lowering the minimum age of criminal responsibility would only
do harm to children as it would to the future of our society. This only targets people and families
who cannot afford proper nourishment and education for their children. This bill should be
reevaluated as it is inconsiderate and unjust to the less fortunate and marginalized.