The Twenty-fourth Meeting of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress voted to pass the Criminal Law Amendment (Eleventh) on December 26, which will come into effect on March 1, 2021.
The Criminal Law Amendment (11) has made many amendments to the current criminal law.
This includes the amendment of Article 17 of the Criminal Law to read: a person who has reached the age of sixteen who commits a crime shall bear criminal responsibility.
A person who has reached the age of 14 but not the age of 16 who commits the crimes of intentional homicide, intentional injury causing serious injury or death, rape, robbery, drug trafficking, arson, explosion, or placing of dangerous substances shall bear criminal responsibility.
A person who has reached the age of twelve but not the age of fourteen who commits the crime of intentional homicide or intentional injury, causing death or severe injury by special cruel methods, causing serious disability, and the circumstances are bad, and the Supreme People’s Procuratorate shall be subject to criminal responsibility .
Those under the age of 18 who are investigated for criminal responsibility in accordance with the provisions of the preceding three paragraphs shall be given a lighter or mitigated punishment.
Those who are not given criminal punishment because they are under the age of sixteen shall be ordered to be disciplined by their parents or other guardians; when necessary, special correction education shall be conducted in accordance with the law.
(Editor Li Jiali)
Editor in charge: [Li Yuxin]