少年事件處理法發展專題回顧：回首向來蕭瑟處，也無風雨也無晴

Developments in the Juvenile Justice Act: Past, Present, and Future

少年事件處理法自民國51年制定，民國60年施行至今，已逾半世紀。其間，在各國少年司法日趨刑事化的氛圍下，我國於民國86年卻一反其道而行，開創與過往迥然不同的局面。筆者作為民國86年新少年事件處理法起草人之一，於當時提出兩個關鍵性標語，其一為少年自我健全成長發達權，另一則是同心圓理論。前者作為指導理念，後者則敘述了執行矯正性格與調整環境這兩個處遇手段時必須留意的原理原則。此外，再以蝴蝶吸子，並搭配面具理論與OPM概念，定義少年健全人格與成長環境間的關係。而本文僅欲針對民國108年修法中的兩個程序問題加以探討，其一為固有偵查領域，另一則是被害人參與程序。前者向來迭生爭議，而重點在於檢察官是否有能力判斷少年事件中的需保護性，以及其參與程序的程度，因為在少年事件的特性下，任何的讓渡，都可能翻轉少年保護程序。後者則牽涉近來司改國是會議以及司法院釋字第805號解釋，在強調「實踐修復式正義」，並「提升被害人地位」之標語下，相關法規無不配合修正，然而少年事件終究與一般程序有所不同，實不應貿然比照適用。

More than a half century has passed since the enacting of the Juvenile Justice Act (hereafter, “the Act”). In the meantime, despite the trend of increasingly criminalized juvenile justice in various countries, Taiwan went in the opposite direction in 1997. The legislative amendments to the Act paved the way for a revolutionized system that deals with juvenile delinquency cases in ways that break from the past. As one of the advocates for and drafters of the Juvenile Justice Act of 1997, the author laid down two general principles for the juvenile justice: the Right of Sound Self-Development of the Juveniles, and the Theory of the Concentric Circles. The former serves as the guiding principle for the juvenile justice proceedings, respecting the opinions of the juveniles and rejecting the ideal roadmap set by adults. The latter refers to the principles that must be adhered to when implementing treatment measures. The establishment of the protective circles allows the juvenile to take over his/her life. In addition, the Lorenz attractor is used to express the unpredictable future of the juveniles on whom the various forces are exerted. Through the Mask Theory and the OPM Theory (organize, present, move), the Article attempts to define the relationship between the healthy development of the juvenile and the environment in which the juvenile develops his/her personality. Although the future seems bright for the juvenile justice, it has encountered many difficulties. The Youth Counseling Committee, which will assume the frontline responsibility after the revision of the Act in 2019, is threatened to plunge into chaos if the structure remains its current form. With the revised Act’s exclusion of child delinquency cases from the juvenile justice proceedings, welfare and education agencies are expected to evade their statutory responsibilities towards children and adolescents. This Article will focus on the two issues: the Essential Investigation Theory, and the Private Accessory Prosecution. The former has been discussed for many years, the fundamental characteristic being the ability of the prosecutor to judge the necessity for protection and the participation of the prosecutor. The features of the Act render it vulnerable to unfounded revisions. The latter concerns the conclusion of the National Conference on Judicial Reform and the decision of the Judicial Yuan Interpretation No. 805. The emphasis on Restorative Justice and Victim Protection and Participation pushed for the amendments to the Code of Criminal Procedure, which established the Victim Participation in general criminal proceedings. However, the Act is different from the Code. If the Act is also amended in line with the revised Code, it may only satisfy our desire for retribution.