China eyes stricter rules for prison sentences

BEIJING - Criminals whose remaining terms of imprisonment are greater than three months may not serve their terms in detention houses and should be transferred to prisons according to related laws, according to a recent order.

The order came out of a recent joint inspection conducted by the Supreme People's Procuratorate, the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Justice, echoing stipulations contained in the newly-amended Criminal Procedure Law that took effect on Jan 1.

The inspection is intended to determine the situation for criminals who are currently serving in detention houses, the order said, adding that criminals whose remaining terms are greater than one year as of 2012 will be transferred to prisons.

After Jan 1, 2013, detention houses should transfer criminals whose remaining terms are greater than three months to prisons within one month of receiving legal documents from courts, the order said.

All juvenile delinquents should be transferred to juvenile prisons to serve their terms, the order said.

According to the newly-amended Criminal Procedure Law and Prison Law, public security organs should transfer criminals sentenced to suspended death sentences, life sentences and fixed-term prison sentences to prison within one month based on legal documents obtained from courts.

Criminals who are serving fixed sentences with a remaining term of less than three months may stay in detention houses for the remainder of their terms, the order said.