论恶意补足年龄规则在中国的适用

The Application of the Rule of Maliciously Supplementing the Age in China

近年来,中国青少年犯罪呈现低龄化和多样化的趋势。《刑法修正案(十一)》将刑事责任年龄下限降低至12周岁,这样的立法模式略显僵硬,无法对实务中的各类情况实行差异化处理。中国有必要引入英美法系中存在已久的恶意补足年龄规则,采用“排除合理怀疑”的标准认定“恶意”,并将规则的适用范围限制在具有严重社会危害性的八类罪名之中。同时,司法机关在适用恶意补足年龄规则时要严格遵循罪刑法定原则,不得将品格证据和心理报告等主观因素作为定罪的依据。

In recent years,juvenile delinquency in China shows a trend of low age and diversification.The Amendment to the Criminal Law(XI)has set the low limit of the age of criminal responsibility to 12,which is a rigid legislation mode and unable to differently treat various kinds of situations in practice.Therefore,it is necessary to introduce the rule of maliciously supplementing the age in which malice is affirmed by beyond-reasonable-doubt standard and the application of the rule is limited in the crimes of serious social danger.Besides,while applying the rule,the judicial authority is supposed to strictly follow the principle of“a legally prescribed punishment for a specified crime”and should not take such subjective elements as the character evidence and psychological report as the basis of conviction.