英政府拟推青少年司法改革：子女犯罪父母或面临扣减福利及监禁UK Ministers Plan Stricter Penalties for Parents of Young Offenders

理查兹在阐述改革方案时指出，青少年司法系统应当以适度方式促使父母承担维护社区安全的责任。现行育儿令机制能够强制父母或监护人参加咨询课程甚至全日制寄宿培训，但拟议的新方案将引入更具强制力的制约手段。理查兹表示，改革将向法院赋予裁量权，允许法官针对具体个案决定是否对不配合管教的父母实施扣减福利或监禁处罚，以确保监护人深度参与挽救未成年犯的过程。

Explaining the proposed framework, Richards stated that the youth justice system should hold parents accountable in a proportionate way to ensure they play their part in maintaining community safety. While current Parenting Orders can already require parents or guardians to address youth behaviour through counselling sessions or residential courses, the planned reforms introduce stronger compliance mechanisms. Richards noted that the system would give judges discretion to decide whether non-compliant parents should face benefit cuts or custodial terms, ensuring guardians take active responsibility during interventions.

前司法大臣戴维·拉米（David Lammy）此前在公布政府白皮书时曾说明，强化育儿令旨在让故意不配合改善子女行为的监护人承担实际后果。拉米当时向媒体指出，当家庭面临管教困难时，法官可以通过介入确保青少年获得必要支持，同时督促父母尽到职责，而监禁父母的法定权力预计仅会在“极少数”情况下被动用。

Former Justice Secretary David Lammy previously explained during the white paper launch that strengthening these orders would create real consequences for carers who wilfully refuse to support efforts addressing their children's offending. Lammy told broadcasters that judicial intervention would help struggling parents access necessary assistance while ensuring families do their best, adding that the legal power to jail parents is expected to be used very rarely.

根据英格兰和威尔士量刑委员会（Sentencing Council）的规定，当16岁以下未成年人被法院定罪时，法官必须考虑对其父母或监护人发出育儿令。对于16岁至17岁的青少年违法者，若法院评估认为该措施有助于防止其再次犯罪，同样可以考虑签发育儿令。依照现行法律框架，育儿令的最长有效期不得超过12个月。如果监护人未能遵守命令规定的义务，即构成刑事犯罪，最高可被处以1000英镑罚款。

Under guidelines set out by the Sentencing Council in England and Wales, courts are required to consider issuing a Parenting Order whenever a child under the age of 16 is convicted of an offence. Judges may also consider imposing an order in cases involving 16- and 17-year-olds if they determine the measure will help prevent further offending. The legal duration of a Parenting Order cannot exceed 12 months, and breaching its terms constitutes a criminal offence subject to a maximum fine of £1,000.

尽管这一法律工具已被广泛设立多年，但官方数据显示其实际执行量经历了急剧萎缩。根据英国政府统计数据，法院在2009/10年度共下达了1000多起育儿令，而到了2022/23年度，该数字已下降至仅33起。相关学术报告亦指出，自育儿令于1998年引入以来，针对其实际效果和影响的研究仍相对有限。

Despite the longstanding legal availability of this mechanism, official government statistics demonstrate a sharp decline in its application by the courts. In the 2009/10 period, authorities recorded more than 1,000 Parenting Orders, but that total fell to just 33 in 2022/23. Research highlighted in the Youth Justice Journal notes that although the orders have been broadly available since their introduction in 1998, empirical evidence regarding their overall impact and effectiveness remains limited.

针对政府强化惩戒的提议，刑事司法领域的多位专家与倡导团体指出，育儿令在实践中缺乏有效性，且强化经济与人身惩罚会对贫困家庭产生负面冲击。代表70多个儿童权益组织的青少年司法联盟（Alliance for Youth Justice）首席执行官杰斯·马伦（Jess Mullen）此前公开质问，将父母关入监狱根本无法为涉案儿童提供所需的稳定环境或实质支持。批评人士普遍主张，在自愿基础上与父母建立信任关系，才是提供帮助并扭转青少年行为的更有效途径。

Experts across the criminal justice system and youth advocacy organisations have criticised the proposals, arguing that Parenting Orders lack proven effectiveness and that expanding punitive measures penalises low-income households. Jess Mullen, chief executive of the Alliance for Youth Justice, which represents more than 70 organisations advocating for children, previously questioned how putting parents in prison would provide stability or support for the child. Critics maintain that engaging parents on a voluntary basis is far more effective for building trusting relationships and delivering meaningful support to troubled youths.

杜伦大学社会学系助理教授尼基·拉特（Nikki Rutter）在7月接受英国广播公司采访时表示，已有大量证据表明育儿令并不奏效，这也是该措施使用量持续下降的原因，警方同样清楚其缺乏实效。拉特进一步指出，贫困与诸多违法活动密切相关，对涉事父母施加更高额的罚款只会让家庭可用资金进一步缩减，从而推剧家庭陷入更深层的贫困，对社区环境造成不利后果。《青少年司法期刊》（Youth Justice Journal）的研究亦主张，父母参与干预支持应始终保持自愿原则。

Nikki Rutter, an assistant professor of sociology at Durham University specialising in child behaviour, told the BBC in July that substantial evidence shows parenting orders are ineffective, which explains their declining usage, adding that police recognise these measures do not work. Rutter noted that poverty is inextricably linked to many criminal activities and that imposing higher fines reduces household finances, driving families further into poverty and creating detrimental effects for communities. Academic analysis in the Youth Justice Journal similarly argued that parental engagement in support services should remain strictly voluntary.

英国政府推行青少年司法改革的背景，与南港（Southport）调查报告第一阶段的调查结论密切相关。该调查报告认定，南港袭击案凶手阿克塞尔·鲁达库巴纳（Axel Rudakubana）的父母以及多个公共机构存在“灾难性”失职，导致错失了阻止2024年儿童遇害事件的明显机会。这一调查发现促使政府加快推动强化父母监管责任的立法方案。

The government's push for youth justice reforms follows the findings of Phase One of the Southport Inquiry report, which identified catastrophic failures by the parents of Southport attacker Axel Rudakubana alongside various public agencies. The inquiry concluded that these systemic breakdowns meant clear opportunities were missed to prevent the 2024 child killings, intensifying official focus on tightening parental accountability.

在提出加强育儿令措施的同时，理查兹在接受《泰晤士报》采访时明确拒绝了法律界关于提高刑事责任年龄的呼吁。英格兰和威尔士大律师公会（Bar Council）曾在6月提出将刑事责任门槛从10岁提高至14岁，主张过早对儿童进行刑事定罪并非有效、适度或公正的应对手段；联合国此前也指出英国是全球刑事责任年龄最低的国家之一，建议提高至至少14岁。然而，理查兹回应称，提高这一门槛会损害公众对司法系统的信心，并明确表示该提议“根本不是当务之急”。

During his interview with The Times, Richards also firmly rejected persistent calls from legal organisations to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10. In June, the Bar Council representing barristers across England and Wales advocated lifting the threshold to 14, arguing that criminalising children at such an early age is neither an effective, proportionate, nor just response, while the United Nations has repeatedly urged the UK to align with its global recommendation of at least 14. Richards dismissed the change, stating that raising the threshold would undermine public faith in the justice system and asserting that such a move was not a priority at all.