Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online

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Criminal responsibility
(855 words)

1. Definition

Criminal responsibility (German: Mündigkeit) is the precondition for an individual's criminal liability according to his or her physical and moral maturity. Upon reaching the age of criminal responsibility, young perpetrators cease to be under the power of their family and come under that of the state. The threshold for criminal responsibility thus gives insight into the way a society deals with juvenile delinquency. Criminal responsibility is often …

Cite this page
Maihold, Harald, “Criminal responsibility”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 19 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_COM_028337>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20170206



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