NSW to review law that presumes children under 14 are incapable of evil

After a 2016 high court ruling, the conviction rates 10- to 13-year-olds in NSW have plummeted, report finds

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A centuries-old legal presumption that children aged between 10 and 14 don't understand the difference between right and wrong is to be reviewed after New South Wales youth criminal conviction rates tumbled fivefold.

The NSW attorney general's office said the review will consider how the principle of doli incapax - Latin for incapable of evil" - is applied in criminal proceedings, its impact on intervention, possible improvements and a framework for legislation.

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