Rule of sevens

The rule of sevens, in English common law, establishes three age brackets for determining a young person's capacity to be responsible for torts and crimes. Children under the age of seven cannot be held to have capacity, while there is a rebuttable presumption that a minor aged 7 to 14 lacks capacity, and minors 14 and older are held to have the same capacity as adults.^[1] The rule of sevens is also used in determining capacity to give informed assent to participate in clinical trials.

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