“已满12周岁不满14周岁的人，犯故意杀人、故意伤害罪，致人死亡，情节恶劣的，经最高人民检察院核准，应当负刑事责任。”10月13日，刑法修正案(十一)草案二审稿提请全国人大常委会会议审议，法定最低刑事责任年龄的个别下调，是其中最受关注的内容。



In Better Days， there’s a thrilling scene in which teenage bully Wei Lai, knife in hand, chases down her classmate An Ran. While Wei may appear innocent to some, she hides a dangerous persona. 6park.com
在《少年的你》中，有这样的惊险一幕：少年霸凌者魏莱拿刀追逐同学安然。尽管魏莱在一些人眼中天真单纯，但外表下却藏着危险的一面。 6park.com
Teenagers are often regarded as pure and harmless, but in truth they are just as capable of committing crimes as adults are. In 2019, a 13-year-old boy intentionally killed a 10-year-old girl in Dalian. 6park.com
青少年往往被认为单纯无害，但其实他们也和成年人一样有能力犯罪。2019年，大连一名13岁男孩故意杀害了一名10岁女孩。 6park.com
If an adult commits murder, he or she will receive a heavy criminal penalty. But according to current Chinese laws, juveniles under the age of 14 are exempt from criminal responsibility no matter what crimes they commit. 6park.com
如果一名成年人实施谋杀，将会面临严重的刑罚。但依据中国当前的法律，14岁以下的青少年，不管实施何种危害社会的罪行，都不承担刑事责任。 6park.com
The boy in Dalian did not face criminal charges, but was instead sentenced to just three years of “educational detainment”. 6park.com
那名大连男孩免于刑事起诉，而是被罚实施3年收容教养。 6park.com
This led to heated discussion online. Many claim that the Juvenile Protection Law, though meant to protect law-abiding juveniles, often ends up protecting the law-breakers. 6park.com
这件事在网上引发热议。许多人认为尽管未成年人保护法意在保护遵纪守法的青少年，但往往也保护了违法乱纪之徒。 6park.com
However, policies regarding underage law-breakers may be getting tougher. On Oct 13, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress discussed the draft of the latest amendment to the Criminal Law. It proposes that the minimum age of criminal responsibility be lowered to 12 in cases where the offense is murder or intentional injury leading to a person’s death. 6park.com
然而，关于未成年人违法的法律法规如今或许将会变得更严格。10月13日，全国人大常委会审议了刑法最新的修正案草案。其中提出，犯故意杀人、故意伤害罪，致人死亡的，法定最低刑责年龄将由14岁下调至12岁。 6park.com
Currently, those under 14 can’t be punished as criminals. They are either returned to their parents or sent to a correctional facility. However, if the draft becomes law, they could be punished with imprisonment or even death penalty. 6park.com
目前，这些14岁以下的人不会受到刑罚。他们或是回到父母身边，或是被送往教养所。但如果该草案成为法律正式实施，他们将面临监禁甚至死刑。 6park.com
The draft has received wide public support. In recent years, serious crimes committed by minors have aroused social concern. The number of crimes committed by teens rose from 2018 to 2019, according to the Global Times. Violations included many serious crimes as well. 6park.com
该草案获得了广泛的公众支持。近年来，未成年人严重犯罪引发社会关注。据《环球时报》报道，2018-2019年，未成年人犯罪数量有所上升，其中也包含了许多严重罪行。 6park.com
“Lacking clear legal [restrictions on criminals under 14], sometimes we had to just set them free,” Zheng Ziyin, a lawyer from the Guangdong Lawyers Association, told the Global Times, adding that simply releasing those “little devils” may cause hidden trouble. 6park.com
“由于缺乏明确的对于14岁以下的人犯罪的法律约束，有时候我们只能束手无策，”来自广东省律师协会的律师郑子殷在接受《环球时报》采访时如此表示，并称只是单纯地释放这些“小恶魔”或许将来的一大隐患。 6park.com
However, Zong Chunshan, director of the Beijing Youth Legal and Psychological Consultation Service Center, expressed his concern that the amendment will not reduce juvenile delinquency. Zong told the Global Times that the deeper reasons lie in the absence of guardians, school education and social support. “Lowering the age of criminal responsibility will not stop them from doing wrong,” he said. 6park.com
但北京市青少年法律与心理咨询服务中心名誉理事长宗春山却表达了他的担忧，他认为该修正案并不会减少未成年人犯罪。宗春山在接受《环球时报》采访时表示，更深层次的原因在于监护人、学校教育与社会支持的缺失。“下调刑责年龄并不会阻止他们犯错，”他说道。