Until the 1800s, offenders who were between the ages of 7 and 14 could be criminally liable if the prosecutor could prove that the juvenile was mentally and morally

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Until the 1800s, the age of criminal responsibility was not fixed in law. At common law, children under the age of seven years were viewed as being unable to commit a criminal offense, while those aged between seven and fourteen were presumed unable to do so on account of their age.
However, they could be found to be criminally liable if the prosecutor could prove that the juvenile was mature enough to understand the nature and consequences of their actions. This was known as the doctrine of doli incapax, which presumed that children aged between seven and fourteen were incapable of understanding that their actions were wrong, and so could not form the requisite mens rea.

Until the 1800s, Offenders Who Were Between the Ages of 7