Handle juvenile delinquents' cases with utmost caution

Editor's Note: A 13-year-old boy who killed a 10-year-old girl after failing to rape her in Dalian, Northeast China's Liaoning province, early this month, may not face trial because minors below the age of 14 are exempted from criminal charges. The case has sparked a heated debate on whether the criminal accountability age should be lowered. Two experts share their views on the issue with China Daily's Yao Yuxin. Excerpts follow:

Educating minors in law should be first priority

A few extreme cases have given rise to the view among some that juvenile offenders are over-protected and don't get due punishment even if they commit a serious crime. Such a view has its roots in the Chinese tradition of "a life for a life".