Shanghai courts mark 40th anniversary of juvenile justice
Punishment is not the goal. For minors, education, rehabilitation and rescue should be the primary focus. This was and remains the guiding criteria when a juvenile court was established in Shanghai 40 years ago.
To mark the 40th anniversary of juvenile justice in Shanghai courts, the Comprehensive Tribunal for Juvenile Division and Family Division of the Shanghai High People's Court was unveiled on Tuesday. It's expected to further foster "specific" care for juvenile offenders.
The Comprehensive Tribunal for Juvenile and Family Cases Division of the Shanghai High People's Court was unveiled on Tuesday.
Yao Jianlong, deputy Party secretary of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences and director of the Institute of Law, likened the comprehensive tribunal of today to the 3.0 version of the juvenile court.
"The work of the juvenile courts is a hallmark of the Chinese judicial system that has won countless praise in the international community," Yao said.
In 2010, the Shanghai High People's Court established the Juvenile Court Guidance Office, the only one in China at the time.
"It has now grown into the juvenile and family divisions," Yao said. "I believe it could be considered the 3.0 version of the construction of juvenile justice in Shanghai."
In 1984, Changning District People's Court in Shanghai took the lead in establishing the country's first juvenile court.
Jia Yu, president of the Shanghai High People's Court, said: "Shanghai is the birthplace of China's distinctive modern juvenile justice system."
In 1984, Changning District People's Court in Shanghai took the lead in establishing the country's first juvenile court. This initiative integrated the fight against crime, the reform of offenders, and the prevention of crime, setting the foundations for the Chinese juvenile justice system.
"Be tolerant, but not indulgent. Education, rehabilitation, and rescue are preventive measures against juvenile delinquency," Jia said.
A symposium is held on Tuesday to discuss the future of juvenile and family divisions in China's justice system.
Yao also said it's important the law recognizes that minors and adults are different, independent individuals. He added juveniles are not equal to younger adults and should not be understood by the same standards.
Yao compared juvenile courts to children's hospitals, arguing the purpose of juvenile justice is to distinguish between minors and adults, similar to how sick children are taken to children's hospitals where there are doctors and medicines specifically for them. This "specificity" is crucial.
