It behoves us to not condemn outright the ones who turn out "wrong" without showing at least some understanding.
Murder is murder. I do not care how deprived a childhood the murderer
had, the victim is still dead and society demands recompense.
In the UK the age of criminal responsibility is 10 years old. Below that age children may be subjected to curfew, their parents held responsible, or be taken into care. If they are old enough to be able to distinguish between right and wrong, they are old enough to be subjected to punishment. Looking for excuses doesnot hack it. Levels of deprivation in third world countries far exceeds anything in the UK. Their societies are not automatically hotbeds of lawlessness.

Religion is at the heart of western law because it(law) is derived from both Graeco Roman and canon law.