Revised law sees fall in recorded juvenile crime

In 2014, a survey showed that 62 percent of 308 juveniles involved in civil or criminal cases did not live with their parents, while 75.15 percent rarely spoke with their guardians.

"It is obvious that insufficient care is strongly linked to juvenile offenses," Song said, adding that the figures also explain why many young offenders are the children of migrant workers in big cities.

Since 2012, Qin's court has explored parental education. It invites psychologists, and legal and educational experts to share their knowledge with parents in accordance with their children's crimes.

"For example, we provide classes for parents whose children committed drug-related offenses, and also give parenting classes to single fathers," Qin said. "Classes for an individual case last three or four hours, while those for groups of parents last about an hour."

Li is in favor of the measures: "The aim is to change children's behavior by changing their parents. Better family relations can make a major contribution to the correction of young criminals, and help them to avoid reoffending."

Communications

To assess the impact of punishment and education in the rehabilitation of juvenile offenders, Qin's tribunal established a communications channel between judges and young offenders, both those in detention and those who have served their sentences.

"Sentencing and punishment is not the end of juvenile cases. It is our job to put young people back on the right track and ensure their behavior has been corrected," said Qin's colleague, Cao Xiaoying.

Qin said the tribunal will establish a sister project next year, under which each judge will be responsible for specific children. "If a juvenile commits a new crime or his or her family becomes embroiled in a fresh lawsuit, the judge who handled their original case will deal with the new problem," she said.

"Better understanding of the family and child improves our effectiveness and allows us to establish trust with all parties concerned."

Although some parts of the revised law－such as sealing the criminal records of people age 18 and younger who have been sentenced to less than five years－aid child protection, problems remain.

"We still face challenges in preventing juvenile crime", Li said. She urged the formation of public security department teams to specialize in cases of juvenile crime, and also called on NGOs to provide support measures for minors to help them avoid criminal activity.

Song suggested that an early intervention system should be established to identify potential young offenders, especially those who may commit violent crimes.

He cited a survey he conducted last year among 382 juvenile inmates in which 372 admitted behaving inappropriately, such as committing petty theft, before moving on to more serious crimes.

"If we can identify potential offenders and help them earlier, they may not commit crimes at all," he said.

Contact the writer at caoyin@chinadaily.com.cn