China’s Supreme People’s Procuratorate (SPP) said on Tuesday that it will work with the Ministry of Public Security to issue new rules clarifying the conditions, procedures and standards for approving prosecutions of minors aged 12 to 14 who commit serious violent crimes, including intentional homicide and intentional injury resulting in death, when statutory requirements for criminal prosecution are met.
The SPP on Monday released a report on the development of juvenile procuratorial work over the past 40 years, stressing the policy of balancing leniency and severity in handling juvenile crime.
The report said prosecutors would take a more calibrated approach to juvenile crime, weighing factors such as the severity of the offense, the offender’s intent and expressions of remorse to ensure punishment fits the crime.
It reaffirmed that minors aged 12 to 14 who commit serious violent crimes, including murder and intentional injury resulting in death, can be prosecuted when legal thresholds are met.
The SPP said it would work with the Ministry of Public Security to issue new rules clarifying the standards and procedures for approving such prosecutions.
At the same time, authorities said they would continue to favor leniency for juveniles involved in less serious offenses, particularly first-time and occasional offenders whose crimes cause limited harm to society.
In 2025, China’s top procuratorate approved the prosecution of 24 juveniles aged between 12 and 14 for serious violent crimes under special legal provisions.
At the same time, authorities continued to emphasize rehabilitation for young offenders involved in less serious crimes. About 144,000 juveniles were granted conditional non-prosecution, with more than 95 percent not reoffending.
Over the past five years, prosecutorial education and rehabilitation programs have helped more than 7,100 juveniles who had committed crimes eventually gain admission to universities, according to the SPP report.
Since 2018, Chinese prosecutors have brought charges against 531,000 individuals for crimes committed against minors, according to the report.
Authorities have maintained a tough stance on sexual offenses against children while expanding support services for young victims. More than 2,600 one-stop service centers integrating functions such as interviews, evidence collection, medical examinations and psychological counseling have been established nationwide. These centers have conducted more than 100,000 single-session interviews, provided 119,000 counseling services, and distributed 8.6 billion yuan ($1.2 billion) in financial assistance to victims.
The report also showed that in 2025, the number of juvenile crime cases accepted for prosecution review and the number of cases involving crimes against minors prosecuted by procuratorial authorities fell by 9.8 percent and 2.2 percent, respectively, from a year earlier, marking the first simultaneous decline in both categories in the past five years.
The SPP said it has expanded rehabilitation and education programs for juvenile offenders while strengthening oversight of specialized correctional institutions. It also emphasized measures such as warnings, parental supervision orders and family education guidance, as well as stronger anti-bullying mechanisms in schools and efforts to improve campus safety and foster a healthier online environment.
Global Times
