Mother stabbed to death; 12-year-old son is released

Public concerns raised over right way for system to handle cases of juveniles

A decision by police to release a 12-year-old boy who is believed to have stabbed his mother to death in Hunan province has drawn public attention to the issue of how young offenders are handled if they are below the statutory age for criminal prosecution.

On Dec 3, police in Yuanjiang city detained a sixth-grade student identified as Wu on suspicion of killing his 34-year-old mother with a knife, local authorities said via social media.