The government is pushing a plan to lower the age standard for criminal minors (juvenile offenders exempt from criminal liability) from under 14 to under 13, limited to violent, serious, and repeat crimes.
The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family reported to the Cabinet meeting on the 14th the results of public deliberation on the age standard for juvenile offenders exempt from criminal liability and recommendations for system improvements.
Currently, those aged 10 or older but under 14 are criminal minors and receive protective dispositions instead of criminal punishment even if they commit crimes. The plan is to adjust this to those aged 10 or older but under 13 when the crimes are violent, serious, or repeated.
Those aged 14 or older but under 19 are classified as "juvenile delinquents" with criminal responsibility recognized. However, even if indicted as a criminal case under the Juvenile Act, they may receive protective dispositions or have their sentences reduced.
In addition, the ministry noted that in the case of juvenile delinquents, suspects may be let off with a warning if the allegation is minor, but for juvenile offenders exempt from criminal liability, the "referral of all cases" system applies, under which they are unconditionally sent to juvenile protection trials, and it requested improvements.
Among academia and experts, the opinion to keep the current age for juvenile offenders exempt from criminal liability was dominant. However, in a survey of 212 members of the citizen participation panel involved in the public deliberation, after deliberative discussion, 46.7% supported "conditional lowering of the age standard for juvenile offenders exempt from criminal liability." After deliberative discussion, 30.2% supported "blanket lowering of the age standard for juvenile offenders exempt from criminal liability," and 17.0% supported maintaining the current standard.
In response to the question, "To what age should the standard be lowered?" the most common answer, at 55.8%, was to lower the current "under 14" to "under 13."
In an online public hearing of 199 members of the public and 43 adolescents, the most common view was a blanket lowering, at 78% and 67%, respectively.
The ministry plans to establish an across-government response body to prevent juvenile delinquency and manage juvenile crime, tentatively named the "Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Policy Committee," to discuss the specific scope of crimes, legal revisions, and protection, correction, and prevention measures. Detailed implementation plans for each task will be prepared starting in the second half of this year.