ABSTRACT
Readers may wonder why a separate chapter is being devoted to fire-raising by children since, although there are probably as many differences in the causes and manifestation of fire-raising in children as there are in adults, they have much in common. There are three reasons for doing so. First, a number of adult arsonists have begun their fire-raising careers as children; thus the seeds of such behaviour are sown early in life and we need more detailed information about this. Second, the phenomenon of fire-raising in childhood sometimes illustrates very clearly the psychodynamic aspects of the behaviour. Third, early intervention may provide a useful form of prophylaxis, and this aspect leads us usefully into my final area of discussion in this book – preventive measures. In England and Wales children under 10 are not held to be criminally responsible for their acts so that it is not strictly correct to write of arson in young children; fire-raising is the preferred term. Other jurisdictions throughout the world have similar provisions for excluding young children from criminal proceedings, though almost everywhere children who commit criminal acts may be subject to proceedings for their own protection and/or the protection of others.
