NCJ Number
114859
Journal
Prison Journal Volume: 68 Issue: 1 Dated: (Spring-Summer 1988) Pages: 24-40
Date Published
1988
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This overview of corrections in the People's Republic of China describes the criminal justice system, correctional philosophy, organization, juvenile corrections, sentencing alternatives, and recidivism.
Abstract
China's criminal justice system is loosely modeled on that of the Soviet Union. Codes of criminal law and criminal procedure were adopted in 1979. The correctional philosophy emphasizes rehabilitation under the belief that offenders can be positively changed through productive labor, education, and political training. Most correctional activities are the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice, centered in Beijing. Although the law requires that serious juvenile offenders be treated harshly, the aim in most juvenile cases is to provide moral and practical education for rehabilitation. Principal sentences are control, criminal detention, fixed-term imprisonment, life imprisonment, and the death penalty. Supplementary punishments are fines, deprivation of political rights, and property confiscation. There is provision for restitution when a crime victim has suffered economic loss. Chinese authorities report an adult recidivism rate of between 3 and 5 percent, and juvenile reformatories estimate a rate of approximately 8 percent. 1 footnote, 4-item bibliography.