Rejected petition Under 18 should not get life sentence for murder for being at a crime scene.

I urge the government to reform laws that allow under-18s to receive life sentences for crimes they did not commit. Being present at a crime scene should not equal guilt. Young people lack full maturity, and punishing them as adults without clear responsibility is unjust.

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The government must change the law so under-18s cannot receive life sentences unless they directly committed the crime. Courts should be required to prove individual intent and actions, not just presence. Introduce mandatory case reviews for young offenders and prioritise rehabilitation over extreme punishment. Ensure sentencing is fair, evidence-based, and proportionate.

This petition was rejected

Why was this petition rejected?

There’s already a petition about this issue. We cannot accept a new petition when we already have one about a very similar issue.

You are more likely to get action on this issue if you sign and share a single petition.

We believe this petition is about joint enterprise charges and convictions. On that basis, we have a petition just opened that allows for automatic appeals against life sentences under joint enterprise, which you may wish to sign:

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/764318

We only reject petitions that don’t meet the petition standards.

Date submitted 21 March 2026
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