BEIJING: China’s procuratorial authorities recorded a decline in both juvenile crime cases and crimes against minors submitted for prosecution in 2025 for the first time in nearly five years, as prosecutors strengthened early intervention, targeted correction and broader social governance, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate said.
The SPP’s 2025 white paper on juvenile procuratorial work, published on Monday, International Children’s Day, showed that procuratorial organs accepted 91,573 juvenile suspects for review and prosecution in 2025, down 9.8 percent year-on-year.
Theft, group fighting, rape, robbery, provocation and disturbance, and fraud accounted for 76.7 percent of juvenile crime cases.
A total of 55,814 juvenile suspects were prosecuted, down 1.9 percent year-on-year.
The number of suspects in the 14 to 16 age group dropped 13.4 percent. The SPP also approved the prosecution of 24 minors aged 12 to 14 for serious violent crimes, sending what it described as a clear message that age does not shield young offenders from criminal responsibility.
At the same time, prosecutors continued to emphasize education and correction. In 2025, they decided not to approve the arrest of 28,200 juvenile suspects and not to prosecute another 38,100.
The nonarrest and non-prosecution rates stood at 44.5 percent and 40.6 percent, respectively.
Follow-up education and assistance were provided after such decisions to help minors return to the right path. More than 71,000 eligible minors also had their criminal records sealed.
Procuratorial organs have balanced punishment with protection, promoted graded intervention for juvenile offenses, strengthened supervision over specialized education and correction, and continued to improve juvenile crime prevention and governance, according to the SPP.
The SPP recently released typical cases involving emerging risks to minors, including school violence, cybercrime and new addictive substances, to illustrate that approach.
The SPP noted that gang-like behavior and repeat offending remain common problems in juvenile crime and major challenges for education and correction.
In one case in Huzhou, Zhejiang province, two teenagers gathered other minors to fight for the title of “campus boss”. Prosecutors handled those involved differently based on their roles, circumstances and risk of reoffending. Those who organized or actively participated in the fight were prosecuted or placed under correction measures, while those who played minor roles received targeted education and assistance.
The SPP said prosecutors should look beyond the offense itself and identify the roles minors play in violent conflicts and unhealthy peer relationships. It called for stricter measures for those at higher risk of reoffending and more tailored assistance for those who followed others without committing serious violence. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
