「14세가 되지 아니한 자」의 행위는 현행「형법」에서 불가벌로규정하고 있다.1) 이러한 「14세가 되지 아니한 자」는 형사미성년자라고 한다. 형사미성년자는 집단 폭행 및 방화 등의 중범죄를 저지른 경우에도소년법에 의한 보호처분의 대상이 될 뿐 형사상 처벌대상이 되지 않는다.2) 형법상 형사미성년자의 불가벌에 대해서는 견해가 대립하고 있다. 먼저 형사미성년자에게는 범죄에 상응한 형벌이 과하여지지 않는다는 사실은 불합리하다는 주장이 제기되고 있다. 더구나 형사미성년자의 범죄가 다양화․흉포화함에 따라 형사미성년자의 연령을 하향조정하는 것이 범죄예방 측면이나 국민의 법감정에 부합한다는 견해가 강력히 제기되고 있다.3) 반면 형사미성년자의 연령을 하향 조정함은 형사처벌이 확대되고형사미성년자에 대하여 보호적·교육적 측면에서 교화할 수 있는 기회가 박탈된다는 반론이 제기되고 있다. 현행 형법은 「14세 미만의 자」는 지적․도덕적 또는 성격적인 발육상태와는 별도로「사물의 변별능력」과 그 변별에 따른「행동 통제능력」이 없기 때문에「불법행위에 대한 비난가능성」이 없다고판단하여 형사책임능력을 부정하고 있다. 다만, 형사미성년자의 범죄행위는 책임능력을 전제로 한 형벌을배제할 뿐, 소년법에 의한 보호처분까지 배제하는 것은 아니다.4) 즉소년법은 형사미성년자인 경우에도「형벌법령에 저촉되는 행위를한 10세 이상 14세 미만의 소년」을 촉법소년으로 규정하고(소년법제4조 제1항 제2호), 형사책임능력을 전제로 하지 않는 보호처분이가능하도록 하고 있다(소년법 제32조). 여기서 보호처분은 형벌이 아니므로 그 요건으로 보호필요성, 즉교정가능성이 요구된다.5) 아무튼 그동안 소년범죄의 저연령화․흉포화․재범율 증가 등으로인하여 현행 형법상 형사(미성년자) 연령이 재설정되어야 하는 것이 아닌가에 대한 문제가 줄기차게 제기되어 왔다.

This study is Lowering the Juvenile Age Requirement of the Criminal Responsibility, especially The Relation between Determining the Age of Criminal Minor in Criminal Law and the System of Protective Disposition of Juvenile Offenders in Juvenile Law. The Age of criminal minor in current criminal law should be reviewed to be lowered due to the age, getting more outrageous of juvenile crime. The Criminal Law and the Juvenile Law surpasses the old and past one, both in the protection of Juvenile Rights and the improvement of correctional treatment. The current Criminal Law and Juvenile Law has been revised several times for the purpose of strengthening the ability of adaptation to a society for Juveniles. To resolve the conflicts between the idea that Juveniles have their consitutional rights and the reality that basic rights of Juveniles could be confined as necessary, we should discuss more concretely about the scopes and ranges of juvenile rights. This study will provide us with useful knowledge theoretically and empirically, especially to the Juvenile Age Requirement of the juvenile protection cases. An argument to lower the criminal liability age is appeared as one of measures to strongly counteract the school violence committed by elementary students or low grade of middle school students. A bill lowering the minimum age of criminal liability for a child offender from 14 to 12 years of age was filed at the House of Representatives. The Korean Juvenile Law was already revised because of cruel juvenile crimes by younger juveniles in December 2007. This motion just emphasizes on protecting the children who are 10 to 13 years old, at the committing crime. Korean Criminal Law cannot punish the children and cannot protect the victims without lowering the minimum age of criminal liability for a child offender. Juveniles should be the target of protection rather than punishment even if they commit a crime, because they are an immature being and are easy to be influenced by environment. The lowering of the age of juvenile is not the best one of effective measures according to characteristics of the recent juvenile crimes, but to consider the measures to diversify and vitalize the protective disposition system for juvenile offenders in educational aspects which seems to be more suitable. Study on the Age of Juveniles is to ensure sound fostering of juveniles by carrying out necessary measures, such as protective dispositions, etc. for the environmental adjustment and character correction of juveniles anti-social behavior, and by providing special measures regarding criminal dispositions. In conclusion, this research will be a study for the new way of correctional treatment to Juveniles to improve considerably. The traditional ideas of The current Juvenile Law and Criminal Law should be modified by the constitutional principles named the so - called juvenile justice. The Juvenile Law and Criminal Law should be consistent with the constitution and the theory of constitutional juvenile justice. In relation to practical problems and reformative approaches in juvenile justice processing, we need attention to The Relation between Determining the Age of juvenile in The Juvenile Act and the System of Protective Disposition of Juvenile Offenders in Juvenile Law. Kew

The Age of The criminal Responsibility, Decline in the Criminal Age, The Age of juvenile, Due Process of Law, Theory of Juvenile Justice, Juvenile Crimes, Protective Disposition, Lowering The Age of Juvenile