Top court mulls lowering age of criminal responsibility

A trend is emerging among violent offenders at China's schools — they are getting younger, according to a report from the country's top court

In May, the Supreme People's Court studied 100 criminal cases in schools from 2013 to 2015, finding that 104 defendants who committed violent acts were students aged 16 to 18 from high school or vocational school.

Though still in the minority, students from primary and middle schools made up more than 36 percent of the total, the report released on Thursday said, adding that this constitutes a new trend.

As the age of criminal responsibility under Chinese law is 14, many of these young offenders had to be dealt with locally by schools instead of judicial bodies.

In response, the top court said it was considering lowering the age of criminal responsibility.

Crimes covered by the school study included homicide, intentional injury and public order disturbances.