China’s top prosecution body plans to launch a dedicated unit to study, investigate, and prosecute cases involving underage offenders and victims following a series of violent incidents, according to an announcement on Thursday.
The Supreme People’s Procuratorate, which will oversee the unit, “must actively explore the characteristics and patterns of such crimes to set up a judicial scheme suitable for minors,” said Deputy Procurator General Tong Jianming. Under China’s current juvenile delinquency law, offenders under the age of 14 are exempt from punishment. “Minors have been committing crimes at a younger age — they’re behaving more like adults and their actions are becoming increasingly violent,” Tong said during a press conference.
On Thursday, a 13-year-old was arrested in Yunnan province for allegedly killing both of his parents, and a 12-year-old killed his mother in Hunan province last month. (Image: Supreme People’s Procuratorate)