According to Article 17 of Chapter II of the Criminal Law of People's Republic of China (PRC) (revised by 1997) updated on February 6, 1965:

Those under the age of sixteen shall not be given criminal punishment, and their parents or guardians shall be responsible for discipline; When necessary, the government will accept them for re-education.

1993 "Notice of the Ministry of Public Security on the Work of Detention and Rehabilitation of Underage Offenders under the age of 14" clearly stipulates that if a person under the age of 14 commits murder, serious injury, robbery, arson, habitual theft or other crimes that seriously disrupt social order, it shall be dealt with in accordance with the provisions of Article 14 of the original Criminal Law, that is, he may be detained and rehabilitated if necessary.

Extended data

Development of foster care:

Reeducation through labor system is a unique system in China, which accommodates juvenile offenders, centralizes education and management.

Since the founding of New China, China has issued some policy documents on detention and reeducation, which can be traced back to1February 7, 956, the Joint Notice of the Supreme People's Procuratorate, the Supreme People's Court, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Public Security on the Detention Duration, Arrest and Detention Procedures and Cleaning of Juvenile Offenders, which stipulates:

Among the reeducation-through-labor personnel in juvenile reformatories, those whose crimes are not serious enough to bear criminal responsibility, and those who are homeless, shall be taken over and reformed by the civil affairs department.

The Supreme People's Procuratorate-People's Republic of China (PRC) criminal law