Knesset C’tee: prison for killers under 14

Minors under the age of 14 but older than 12 involved in a crime involving killing or attempted killing at the time of their conviction can be sent to prison when they reach the age of 14, according to a bill approved in its second and third readings in the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee. Until the age of 14, they will still be sent to a closed orphanage just as the law currently stands. The issue took on special importance in October because under the current law, Ahmed Manasra, then 13, involved in a stabbing attack of a 13-year-old Jewish-Israeli, could not be sent to jail even if he would have been convicted of the multiple counts of attempted murder that the state charged him with. Under current law, minors can only be charged at age 12 and can only be sent to prison at age 14, which could have led to the potential embarrassing and dangerous situation of Manasra escaping jail time for one of the most dangerous crimes.

-• Yonah Jeremy Bob