試論香港地區提高刑事責任年齡的必要性

On the Necessity of Raising the Age of Criminal Responsibility in Hong Kong

崔永康(Wing-Hong Chui) ； 付欣(Xin Fu)

《犯罪與刑事司法研究》 11期 (2008/10) Pp. 169-188

https://doi.org/10.29861/CCJI.200810.0006

摘要

在香港特別行政區，10歲以下的兒童根據法律可以完全不承擔刑事責任，已滿10歲但不滿14歲的兒童需要負相對刑事責任，並適用英國普通法系可推翻的無犯罪能力推定原則；14歲以上的兒童則應負完全刑事責任。本文第壹部分敘述香港刑事責任的法理基礎及現行兒童及青少年的犯罪現況，第貳部分考察了刑事責任年齡的國際標準，第參部分介紹了香港地區刑事責任年齡規定，第肆部分討論了是否有必要提高香港的刑事責任年齡問題。第伍部分作者認爲爲了更好地保護兒童和青少年，有必要進一步改善並提高香港的刑事責任年齡標準。

關鍵字

香港 ； 刑事責任年齡 ； 未成年人 ； 無犯罪能力 ； 推定

並列摘要

In Hong Kong, children under the age of year 10 are exempted from criminal responsibility by law; those who are between 10 and under 14 are conditionally liable to criminal responsibility subject to the rebuttable presumption of doli incapax, which was originated from the common law tradition. To the children over 14 years old, they should bear the criminal responsibility. The first section of this paper overviews the juvenile law and justice system in Hong Kong. The second section examines international standards on the age of criminal responsibility. The third introduces the provisions relating to the age of criminal responsibility in Hong Kong. The fourth section discusses whether the age of criminal responsibility should be changed in the Hong Kong Chinese context. In the final section, the authors argue that it is necessary to raise the age of criminal responsibility in Hong Kong in order to better protect juveniles, and prevent them from becoming hard core criminals.

並列關鍵字

Hong Kong ； age of criminal responsibility ； juvenile ； doli incapax ； presumption