Pros and cons

“Prison sentences for under 14-year-olds too”

The "Krone" asked Claudia Plakolm, the Secretary of State for Youth from Upper Austria, for an interview in Linz.(Bild: Dostal Harald)

Under-14s should be sent to prison after committing serious crimes - this is what State Secretary for Youth Claudia Plakolm is calling for. In an interview with the "Krone" newspaper, she explains why a reduction in the age of criminal responsibility is urgently needed. A social worker counters. Read all the pro and con arguments on the topic with Krone+.

After the gang rapes in Vienna and Salzburg and the individual act of a Carinthian teenager, politics and justice are in demand. Claudia Plakolm (ÖVP), Austria's State Secretary for Young People from Walding, is pursuing a clear line. And with her demand, she is taking a stand against social workers, therapists and the President of the Supreme Court, Georg Kodek.

"Krone": Ms Plakolm, is the propensity for violence among young people getting worse or has it always existed and we are just noticing it more now?
Claudia Plakolm: The statistics clearly show that the crimes themselves are getting worse. Overall, we are talking about more crimes such as rape and murder and increasing violence by young people. There are also more repeat offenders. In other words, young criminals who have already committed dozens of offenses. It is unbelievable that we have no legal means of dealing with this and currently have to stand idly by.