Age of reason
What does Age of reason mean in American Law?
The definition of Age of reason in the law of the United States, as defined by the lexicographer Arthur Leff in his legal dictionary is:
Sometimes said to be reached when a child reaches seven, at which point it may be able to act responsibly, i.e., appreciate the consequences of its acts and control them. This age choice is at best crudely approximate (see age of majority), and in innumerable particular instances and situations flatly false.
At common law, children under seven were irrebuttably presumed to be incapable of committing a crime, and between seven and fourteen rebuttably so presumed. Modern criminal statutes have many age gradations governing criminal responsibility and the treatment (see juvenile delinquency), but nowhere are children under seven criminally responsible.
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