The two boys detonate a car bomb and the one not hurt is questioned by the police, admits guilt, and then is allowed to leave with his father.
It would seem he is a clear risk to society. Why isn't he immediately remanded, until his trial date?
I would think, in the US, he would not be allowed to leave after what is probably felony assault
"Try not. Do or Do not. There is no try" Yoda
Cause this is Denmark which is a Scandinavian country, the Scandinavian countries are very liberal, i live in Sweden which has a legal system pretty much identical to the Danish one, when i was little there was some kids in my town who burnt down a fishing-shed, they got questioned by the police and admitted guilt, and they were released after that, no charges against them, the only consequence was that their parents had to pay the damages.
shareWhy isn't he immediately remanded, until his trial date?
Possibly something was lost in translation, but were either of the two boys charged with a crime? I am very confused on this point. It seemed like both boys were completely set free.
i remember them mentioning something about child services? but in america yes they would have been looking at the electric chair by then. go usa! :D
but seriously, the acting is what made this movie so impressive.
To shed some light over this, I'll explain how the system works in Denmark. In many countries, the legal system function in the sense that if you're old enough to commit the crime, you're old enough to be punished. In Denmark, and I believe other Scandinavian countries as well, a child is considered a child, and can't always be accused for it has done, and thus this is not unusual, unless the police deem the parents unfit to care for them (this is obviously controversial, seeing one could question whether they weren't unfit in the first place, but as seen in the film, this is not always the case, as Christian's father is not a bad person, rationally and ethically speaking).
Of course, there are several factors involved, such as the severity of the crime, the age of the boy and the parents' social condition, but as already mentioned here, the system is much more liberal. The fact that Elias wasn't really that hurt, all things in consideration, he'll likely not receive any form of punishment.
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Ask yourself, if Christian was punished and jailed, what would you have gained? Absolutely nothing. In the end he learned and found peace with his mother's death, it's likely that never would have happened if he was jailed. He's just a kid! Now instead of growing up in a hostile environment he'll likely become a light in the darkness of society. Don't get me wrong, a lot of people deserve punishment, especially when they're adults, but I believe this whole film is exactly about forgiving and understanding.
He's just a kid!
Yeah. I'm not going to turn this into a political discussion, we all have our own views, but I don't believe it's always a kid's fault. Not in his age and definitely not in his situation.
shareWell the UK does have one of the lowest ages in the world of criminal responsibility (currently 10, but there is a bill before parliament at the moment to raise it to 12, and strong campaigns to make it up to 16), however children as young as the boys in the film (12) would be dealt with in special youth courts and, if found guilty, possibly sent to youth prisons (although the authorities do have discretion even before this stage).
At all times thought would be given to their future welfare, their level of actual responsibility, their domestic circumstances and whether a custodial sentence would be necessary or detrimental. The children would have had counselling (which would continue) and there would be a pre-sentence report in any case.
Overall, despite what you might think from some of our newspapers here, not so very different to Denmark!
In Denmark we don't have specific youth Courts. The age for criminal resposibility here is currently 15, even though some politicians wish to lower it to 12.
If a person under the age of 15 is comitting a crime, the person will typically get to go home to his family, which then will be under the supervision of the social services. In some cases the child can be sent to an institution, for treatment, counselling etc. which will be a decission made by social services.
This is not to compare with a prison, as the staff in these institutions isn't prison guards but psychologists and social workers.
I remember in the movie, the police officer said there were "extenuating circumstances" and the case would be passed to child services instead.
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