未成年人不能适用无期徒刑的误区——以刑法第49条和第17条第3款的关系为中心

Misunderstanding of Not-applying Life Imprisonment on Person Under Legal Age——Centered on the Relationship Between Article49 and Article17 Section3 of the Criminal Law

未成年人能否适用无期徒刑,理论上的观点是否定说。其理由是刑法第49条规定,未成年人不得适用死刑,其法定最高刑就是无期徒刑;根据刑法第17条第2款,无论从轻或者减轻处罚,都不能适用无期徒刑。司法实践一直都肯定未成年人可以适用无期徒刑,但缺乏正确的理由支持。否定说的错误在于混淆了法定刑和宣告刑的界限,未成年人不得适用死刑,其含义是宣告刑而不是法定刑。决定未成年人的责任时,首先应引用刑法第17条第3款,根据其法定刑,最高可以是死刑,如果不需要判处死刑,就是遵守了刑法第49条的原则。虽然大多数情况下,引用刑法第17条第3款就足够了,但是,在绝对确定的死刑以及情节冲突的情况下,必须引用刑法第49条才能解决问题。由于刑法第49条是个原则性的规定,必须修正才能更好地适用。

In theory the person under legal age can not he sentenced life imprisonment. The reason is that in Acticle 49 of Criminal Law the person under legal age can not he sentenced to death and the maximum sentence is life imprisonment; Aceording to Article 17 Section 2 life imprisonment can not be applied whether it is dealt with leniently or mitigation of penahy below the minimum statutory prescript. In judieial praetiee it is certain that the person under legal age can be sentenced life imprisonment hut it doesn＇t have eorreet theory support. The theory of saying no is wrong because it misunderstands the limit of statutory sentence and declared sentence. What the person under legal age can not be sentenced to death means that it is a declared sentence not a statutory sentence.. Firstly applying Article 17 Section 3 while determining the liability of the person under legal age they can be sentenced to death aeeording to its statutory sentence and sometimes aeeording to Article 49 they don＇t have to be sentenced to death. In many eases it is enough to apply Aritcle 17 Section 3.However, Article 49 must be applied correctly while determining the death sentence.