China has reduced the age of criminal responsibility for some serious crimes from 14 to 12, as it appears to combat juvenile delinquency committed by children
BEIJING – China has reduced the age of criminal responsibility for some serious crimes from 14 to 12, as it appears to be combating juvenile delinquency committed by children.
Under an amended law, children ages 12 to 14 will be criminally liable for “intentional homicide or intentional injury that causes death or causes severe disability to other people by extremely cruel means.”
The amendment, approved on Saturday by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, China’s top legislature, will take effect on March 1.
Children under the age of 14 who commit crimes other than those mentioned in the recently amended law will be exempt from criminal punishment, but can receive correctional education.
Currently, the age of criminal responsibility in China is 16 years, while those between 14 and 16 years are criminally responsible for serious crimes such as rape, theft and intentional homicide.
The amendment to the law comes after an increase in juvenile delinquency from 2018 to 2019, according to a white paper published in June by the Supreme People’s Prosecutor’s Office, China’s highest tax authority.
Earlier, minors who committed serious crimes had received what appeared to be lenient punishments, causing public outrage.
In one case, a 13-year-old boy from Dalian city in the north was given only three years of correctional education after being found guilty of murdering a ten-year-old girl in October of 2019, which meant a request for legislative and tougher amendments. sanctions for minors who commit these crimes.