China mulls toughening penalties for serious juvenile offenses

BEIJING, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Chinese legislators are considering stricter punishment for minors involved in serious offenses through a draft revision to the Law on Penalties for Administration of Public Security.

The draft revision of the law is scheduled for a third reading during the upcoming 16th session of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, which will run from Tuesday to Friday. The draft has undergone two rounds of deliberation in 2023 and 2024.

According to the draft, minors aged 14 to 16 who violate the regulations for administration of public security two or more times within a year, as well as first-time offenders aged 14 to 18 who commit offenses under "serious circumstances" with "significant negative impacts," may face administrative detention.

The draft also stipulates that those under the age of criminal liability, and therefore exempt from administrative penalties or detention, will face corrective education measures in accordance with the Law on the Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency, which was revised in 2020.

Under the current law, minors aged 14 to 16 and those aged 16 to 18 who violate public security administrative regulations for the first time are exempt from administrative detention, said Huang Haihua, spokesperson for the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee, at a press briefing on Monday.

Huang noted that there is rising public concern over minors intentionally taking advantage of their age to repeatedly violate regulations or commit serious offenses.

According to Huang, the draft revision also addresses bullying in schools. It specifies that public security authorities must impose administrative penalties or take corrective education measures in cases involving assault, insult and intimidation.

The draft also stipulates that schools failing to report or handle serious bullying incidents as required will be ordered to make corrections, and responsible personnel may be held accountable. ■