Publicity in criminal cases involving children

Relaxation in the present provisions which prohibit the identification of children in criminal cases (unless a judge considers that such disclosure is in the interests of justice) was recommended by the previous government. Judges, who have tended to lift the prohibition only in exceptional circumstances, have recently been exhorted by the media to allow publication in more cases. In this article the current legal position concerning children involved in the Children's Hearings System and children appearing in adult courts is described and the arguments for and against retention of the prohibition considered.