Tougher laws to combat rising teen violence
The government is set to implement stricter measures aimed at combating rising teen violence in the wake of a brutal attack on a 14-year-old girl in Glyfada, which has raised the alarm across the nation. The shocking incident has served as a catalyst for new legislation that includes lowering the age of criminal responsibility and imposing harsher penalties on the parents of juvenile offenders.
The proposed reforms would permit detention for minors as young as 14, a significant shift from the current system where only corrective actions like counseling or community service are available for children aged 12 to 15. Presently, detention is reserved for those over 15 years old. The new law would empower courts to impose stricter penalties on younger offenders. Although the government had contemplated reducing the age of criminal responsibility to as low as 10, that proposal was rejected last year.
In addition, parents of juvenile offenders will face more severe consequences. The existing law allows for up to one year in prison for parental negligence, but the proposed legislation would change this to at least one year, coupled with fines starting at €5,000. For cases involving violent behavior, fines could escalate to €10,000, and prison sentences could extend to two years.
Experts have reacted with mixed feelings. Professor Giannis Panousis, a criminologist at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, noted that while youth crime is becoming more violent, the overall incidence remains low relative to Europe and the US. He advocates for a nuanced approach, distinguishing between minor troublemakers and youth involved in organized crime.
Psychiatrist Giorgos Nikolaidis, director of the Institute of Child Health, cautioned against increasing penalties, suggesting that such measures may exacerbate the problem. He pointed to evidence from the US indicating that criminalizing youth behavior often escalates violence rather than curbing it. Both experts concur that effective long-term solutions require collaboration between schools, communities and local authorities to foster non-violence and empathy among young people.
