Measure Thy Cloth Ten Times (Arguments about Reducing the Age of Criminal Liability to 12 Years)

Introduction: the article is devoted to the problem of reducing the age of criminal liability to 12 years and the expediency of further initiating a reduction in the age threshold for bringing minors to criminal liability, as well as the need to introduce pedagogical disciplines and a deeper study of communicative psychology into university training programs for lawyers. In addition, according to the author of the article, when considering cases in courts of the first and appellate instances, in relation to minors, the institution of people’s assessors should be returned to the legal field. Purpose: based on the study of proposals to reduce the age of criminal liability, to substantiate the prematurity of such legislative initiatives and the need to activate civil society to prevent juvenile delinquency. Methods: abstraction, induction, empirical analysis, logical reduction, general scientific and philosophical justification. Conclusion: some aspects of this work can be used in the preparation of educational plans for training lawyers, as well as in the activities of public associations for legal education and prevention of offenses among minors (youth parliaments and governments in the subjects of the Russian Federation, public chambers, etc.). A minor becomes the central element of scientific knowledge and legal communication. In this regard, primacy of a child in relation to the law is defended. Knowledge in the field of child pedagogy, psychology and legal conflict allows a judge, prosecutor, investigator and other employees of law enforcement agencies to perform their professional duties efficiently.