China steps up judicial protection for minors in handling juvenile delinquency

BEIJING -- China has made headway in improving judicial protection for minors while dealing with juvenile crimes, according to the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP).

In the first quarter of 2021, Chinese procurators approved the arrest of 5,875 juvenile criminal suspects, while granting leniency without arrest to 4,448 such suspects, the SPP said.

Over the same period, China saw the prosecution of 6,638 underage suspects in criminal cases. In addition, 3,674 juvenile criminal suspects were granted non-prosecution.

The data showed that prosecutors have been prudent in approving the arrest of juvenile criminal suspects and favored education over punishment in handling their cases, said Shen Guojun, an official with the SPP.

Chinese procurators approved the arrest of 9,083 individuals for committing crimes against minors and prosecuted 11,538 for such suspected crimes from January to March, the SPP added.