Since launching nationwide judicial reforms, over 40 percent of judges across the country have been removed from their positions to ensure only the competent ones can handle increasingly complicated cases.

As a result, appeals have been significantly reduced, with authorities suggesting judges' decisions have become more concise.

With the rapid increase of lawsuits and new types of crimes, Chinese courts are facing heavier workloads and shortages of competent judges.

To address these problems, China raised the threshold for judges and established a judge selection mechanism.

By the end of June this year, only 120-thousand judges out of 210 thousand have been selected to continue to serve on the bench.

Most of those selected have been judges for over a decade.

Liu Lei is one of them. Working at Beijing's First Intermediate People's Court, he's heard around two hundred cases over the course of this year.

"The selection of judges is very rigid this time. Only those competent judges who have worked in the front line long enough can be picked. By doing so, it reduces the examining procedures of cases and strengthens power of judges; but it also means more responsibilities. The selected judges now value more of their duties and pay more effort on each judicial procedure in the court. It helps to raise the judging quality of the cases they handle," Liu noted.

Judges in China are also under more pressure following the establishment of a judicial liability system.

To meet demand and assure justice, 85 percent of staff at either the courts or procuratorates have been tapped to do front line to work; 98 percent cases are handled by presiding judges themselves.

Under the new rules, judges are responsible for every case they hear for a lifetime.

Chen Junsheng is the deputy director of the Judicial Reform Office with the Ministry of Justice.

"The establishment of judicial liability system is aimed at fostering a more professional legal team and reducing the unnecessary interference. Overall, judges and procurators are decreased in number, but the front-line workers' expertise and capabilities are increased. Since the establishment of this mechanism, the rate of re-appealing cases has significantly lowered; people are more convinced with the judgment made in the court," Chen said.

In a report delivered at the opening session of the 19th CPC National Congress, judicial reform and the judicial liability system were specifically mentioned.

Since judicial reforms began in 2013, the Chinese government has brought in a series of new judicial policies.

In a judicial reform report released in November, Chief Justice Zhou Qiang said the principle of reform should be assuring justice for common people.

"The mechanism of preventing and correcting wrong judgments should be optimized. The principle of seeking truth from facts should be maintained. Authority should advise on preventing unjust and false cases, and further mull to reform the crime appealing system. We must ensure the guilty are punished and the innocent are vindicated," Zhou said.

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)