>"Committing a crime requires you to have awareness that what you are doing is likely something illegal. Children like these have no idea."
Most recent laws do not require mens rea.[1] It used to be that conviction of almost any crime would require mens rea, but there are now so many complex laws in the western world, (over 10k felonies in the USA, and at least 3000 federal ones;) that this requirement has been relaxed in most cases.[2] I believe that mens rea should be a requirement of all laws, and that the criminal laws should be drastically simplified, but my will is not law.
Most recent laws do not require mens rea.[1] It used to be that conviction of almost any crime would require mens rea, but there are now so many complex laws in the western world, (over 10k felonies in the USA, and at least 3000 federal ones;) that this requirement has been relaxed in most cases.[2] I believe that mens rea should be a requirement of all laws, and that the criminal laws should be drastically simplified, but my will is not law.
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mens_rea
[2] http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB100014240527023043198045763896...