A draft law amendment¹ that would lower the minimum age of those who can be detained for noncriminal offenses² to 14 has drawn³ a mixed response from experts.

最近出台的一份拟将行政拘留最低年龄降到14岁的法律修订草案，使得许多专家对此反应不一。

The Ministry⁴ of Public Security released a list of proposed revisions to the Law on Penalties for Administrative⁵ Detention⁶ last month to seek public opinion.

公安部于上月公布了《行政拘留处罚法》修改意见列表，向公众征求意见。

The list included changing an article that states juveniles⁷ aged 14 to 16 cannot receive administrative detention, which is generally used for offenders⁹ who commit noncriminal offenses and lasts for about 20 days.

该意见列表中包括修改了14至16岁青少年不适用行政拘留的条款，该条款一般对非刑事犯罪人员使用，拘留大约20天。

The ministry said the amendment would keep the measure in place only for first-time offenders, which means juveniles as young as 14 could be detained if they reoffend.

据公安部表示，修订过的法案不会对初犯使用，也就是说，如果再犯，即使14岁的青少年也能被行政拘留。

Dai Qiuying, an assistant researcher with the Supreme¹⁰ People's Court, told China National Radio that the amendment is understandable, as society has been frustrated¹¹ with the lack of practical and applicable corrective measures for juvenile⁸ offenders.

最高人民法院助理研究员戴秋颖向中国国家广播电台表示，这一修正案是可以理解的，因为公众对于缺少针对未成年犯实际的、适用的正确措施一事感到非常困扰。

China has seen a rise in crime involving minors¹² in recent years. A study by the Chinese Society for Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Research estimated that more than 50 percent of juvenile crime is committed by young people age 14 to 16. According to Criminal Law, only residents who are 16 or above can take full criminal liability.

近年来，中国有未成年人参与的犯罪案件增加显著。据中国青少年犯罪预防研究协会一项研究估计，超过50%的青少年犯罪案件是由14到16岁的青少年犯下的。而据刑法规定，只有16岁以上的居民才能承担全部刑事责任。

However, legal experts have argued that putting minors in detention should be a last resort.

不过，法律专家们认为拘留未成年人应该是最后的手段。

"There is no detailed¹³ research that supports the necessity of lowering the minimum age for administrative detention," said Yao Jianlong, a professor at Shanghai University of Political Science and Law.

上海政法学院教授姚建龙表示：“目前还没有详细的调查研究支持降低行政拘留最低年龄的必要性。”