Information-sharing platform for parole and commutation cases to be established

China’s top court said on Friday that all lower courts nationwide must make detailed plans before the end of June to establish an information platform that will handle cases related to prisoners being released on parole or having their sentences commuted.

Provincial high people’s courts and intermediate people’s courts that handle more than 5,000 parole and commutation cases a year are required to have the platform up and running by the end of September, said Zhou Qiang, president of the Supreme People's Court.

He made the remarks at a meeting held in East China’s Anhui province to discuss digitalization of the court’s processes.

An online platform that connect courts with prosecuting authorities and prisons will help improve information sharing and further speed up the efficiency of dealing with parole and commutation cases, said Zhou.

It will also allow prisons to upload information on inmates, such as behavioral reports and commutation applications, while courts will be able to make a decision on any application using the details provided.

"It will save the time and labor that previously had to be expended delivering such materials," said Zhou.

All procedures relating to parole or commutation handled via the platform will be traced and recorded, as well as being subject to prosecutors’ supervision, he said, adding that this will ensure transparency and prevent the abuse of power.

"The platform, I believe, can also improve the rule of law, regulate our behaviors in dealing with such cases ... and prevent judicial officers from commuting sentences in improper ways," said Zhou.

The court’s announcement echoes a guideline it issued in 2014 to increase transparency and standardize procedures related to reducing penalties and approving parole. It is also in line with a document issued by the central leadership in 2013, which required strict reviews of parole or commutation cases to fight judicial corruption.