ABSTRACT
Instead the present law will be considered, first in England and Wales and then in Scotland, and, in so doing, comment will be made on how the changes since 1908 have come about. Unlike the United States, where many important developments took place outside of the statutes, in Britain the changes that have taken place in the philosophy, organisation and administration of juvenile justice can be traced most readily through the statutes. The broad intention of the juvenile justice system in England and Wales remains that expressed in Section 44 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933. The juvenile courts have jurisdiction over children who are aged under fourteen years and young persons who are fourteen but under the age of seventeen. The court has both civil and criminal jurisdiction. It has original criminal jurisdiction over all offences except murder but this jurisdiction is limited by the age of the accused.
