On December 15 in Jelenia Góra, the body of an 11‑year‑old girl was found near primary school No. 10, and a 12‑year‑old peer has been detained.
Case Background
On Monday, December 15 the body of an 11‑year‑old girl was discovered near primary school No. 10 in Jelenia Góra. The following day, the family court authorized the detention of a 12‑year‑old student from the same school. Motives remain unknown; the investigation follows the juvenile regime.
Expert Critiques Minister’s Statement
Dr Hab. Dagmara Woźniakowska, a criminal psychologist, told Polsat News that even in such grave cases adult categories of responsibility cannot be imposed on a child. “Whatever may have happened, even if the child is the perpetrator of a terrible act, we cannot treat it as we would an adult,” she said. “We approach a child in danger, a child whose circumstances led her to commit a dramatic act.”
Violence Statistics Unchanged
Woźniakowska cautioned against overinterpreting any perceived rise in youth brutality. “Looking at the statistics of the most serious juvenile offences, aggressive crimes by minors are falling. Homicides committed by juveniles number a handful per year—about five rather than nine,” she explained. She added that the chief issues today are self‑aggression and mental‑health crises among young people.
Expert Dismissing Minister’s Proposal
The expert explicitly rejected Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek’s suggestion that the 12‑year‑old could be placed in a reformatory. “I would like to disavow what Minister Żurek said in the media today—if all facts are confirmed, the child would not go to a reformatory. The reformatory is considered a serious measure for a child only from age 13,” she clarified. For younger juveniles, a court may decide on placement in a youth institution with a milder regime focusing on care and therapy.
Family’s Role
Woźniakowska stressed that maintaining the child’s contact with family is crucial. “Isolating a juvenile from loved ones would be a grave systemic mistake,” she said. “A child placed in such a facility will return to society, and we must help them reintegrate safely and functionally.”
Court’s Temporary Measure
On the afternoon of Wednesday, December 17, the vice‑president of the district court in Jelenia Góra announced that a temporary measure had been applied to the juvenile. The hearing took place behind closed doors, and details of the decision were not disclosed. No information was given about the 12‑year‑old’s questioning by the police.
Minister Addresses Detention
Earlier that same Wednesday, Minister Żurek spoke on the radio station “Jedynka” about the potential outcomes for the detained child and her parents. He noted that if the court determines the girl is responsible for the 11‑year‑old’s death, she would face a reformatory. “It is difficult to predict at this stage, but we do not foresee any threat to the parents. The greatest drama for them would be if the child indeed goes to a reformatory,” he said, adding that criminal responsibility of such acts begins at age 14.
