The Evolution of Philosophies and Value Choices in Juvenile Justice Policy

Abstract

From 2014 to 2022, juvenile delinquency in China has demonstrated three prominent trends: quantitative escalation, progressive lowering of age thresholds, and heightened proportion of violent offenses. Under the fundamental criminal policy framework of “Balancing Leniency and Severity”, the relatively lenient criminal policies adopted in China exhibit certain discrepancies with prevailing societal demands. Internationally, the evolution of juvenile criminal policies has transitioned from leniency-oriented approaches to stricter para - digms, which bears contextual relevance to China’ s current policy orientation. Although the Amendment to the Criminal Law has lowered the minimum age of criminal responsibility to 12 years old, practical deficiencies persist in the protection of juvenile victims within specific case adjudications. The formulation of juvenile criminal policies should adhere to the “Differentiated Treatment” principle (mitigation for minor offenses and severity for major crimes) within the “Balancing Leniency and Severity” framework, aiming to equilibrate pu- nitive measures with protective mechanisms, reconcile individual interests with societal welfare, and ultimately achieve harmonious integration of legal efficacy and social impact.