Today, juvenile delinquency at a younger age has attracted global attention. In March this year, a 4-year-old boy drowned in India, and the boy's family called the police after discovering that he had not returned home for a long time. Later, the police found the body of the little boy in a nearby sewage tank, and the police originally thought that the little boy had drowned accidentally. However, through the nearby surveillance, it was found that the little boy was deliberately thrown into the sewage pool by a 13-year-old boy and fled. During this period, two children returned to save people but gave up because they were afraid to go into the water.
After the incident, the 13-year-old was arrested by the Indian police. But India is also very embarrassed to face such juvenile delinquency. The age of criminal responsibility for minors under Indian law is likewise 14 years. However, there is a high probability that the juvenile's actions will change the age of criminal responsibility for minors in India.
In 2015, India approved that minors over the age of 16 who have committed a felony will be allowed to be sentenced to life in prison or the death penalty.
At present, the age standard for criminal responsibility of minors in most countries is 14 years old. In recent years, juvenile crime has been increasing around the world, and there is a growing call for the age of criminal responsibility for juvenile crimes. Some countries have lowered the age of criminal responsibility for juvenile crimes to 12 years. Switzerland and Singapore have even lowered the age to 7, while Mexico and the Philippines have lowered the age to 9. It is also the fourth country in the world to lower the age of criminal responsibility to under 12 years of age.
On the mainland, the age of criminal responsibility for juvenile crimes has always been set at 16 years old, and the age standard is lowered to 14 years old only when some serious crimes have been committed.
The vicious incident of three 13-year-old junior high school students killing and burying a classmate in Handan, Hebei Province has attracted the attention of netizens across the country. Whether the three 13-year-old juveniles who are of general concern to the people can be investigated for criminal responsibility and whether they can be severely punished. It has been confirmed that the three 13-year-olds will be held criminally responsible. And this incident is also seen as a watershed moment in our country's lowering of the age of criminal responsibility for juvenile criminal offenses.
There was a previous case in the UK where two 10-year-olds killed a 1-year-old child. After a lengthy trial and public consultation, the 10-year-olds were sentenced to eight years in prison. At that time, the actual age of criminal responsibility in the United Kingdom was 14 years old.
At present, judging from the opinions of the people, the general consensus is to lower the age of criminal responsibility to 12 years old, and there is no lower age limit for some serious crimes.
What do you think?