China has reduced the age of criminal responsibility for some serious crimes from 14 to 12, with the aim of combating juvenile crime by children
BEIJING – China has reduced the age of criminal responsibility for some serious crimes from 14 to 12, with the aim of combating juvenile crime by children.
According to an amended law, children aged 12 to 14 will be held criminally responsible for “intentional homicide or intentional injury that leads to death or causes other serious disabilities by extremely cruel means”.
The amendment, which was approved on Saturday by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, China’s main legislature, will take effect on March 1.
Children under 14 who commit crimes in addition to those mentioned in the new amended law will be exempt from criminal punishment, but may receive correctional education.
Currently, the age of criminal responsibility in China is 16 years old, with those between 14 and 16 years old considered criminally responsible for serious crimes such as rape, theft and intentional homicide.
The amendment to the law follows an increase in youth crimes from 2018 to 2019, according to a white paper published in June by the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, China’s highest procuratorate.
Previously, minors who committed serious crimes received what appeared to be mild punishments, causing public outrage.
In one case, a 13-year-old boy from the northern city of Dalian received only three years of correctional education after he was found guilty of murdering a 10-year-old girl in October 2019, which led to requests for legislative amendments and more stringent penalties for minors who commit such crimes.