Chinese Courts And Criminal Procedure

This volume investigates questions linking institutional changes within the court system and legal environment with developments in criminal procedure law.

This book considers 'law on display' in Chinese courts. As the first sustained study of criminal trials, rallies, and campaigns in Chinese courts, it offers an account of how law and punishment is constructed and represented both in practice and in rhetoric.

.Criminal Justice in China is the most comprehensive work to date on the functioning of China's criminal justice system. This book is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand any aspect of the system. There are importantinsights on virtually every page, including in depth study of the role of police, procuracy, courts, and defense lawyers. The book will be of value to anyone interested in governance in China.'

This book presents a short history and timeline of criminal procedure legislation in China. First, it addresses the status of Human Rights Conventions and the challenges resulting from human rights standards for Chinese criminal procedural law and practice. The discussion then moves on to explore the fundaments of Chinese criminal procedure such as the applicable law found in the Chinese CPL (Criminal Procedure Law) and legal institutions. The book covers relevant actors in the Chinese Criminal Justice System (ie judges, prosecutors, police, defence councils) as well as the relationships between them. It also includes topics relating to the victims of crime and their role in criminal proceedings. Starting with pre-trial investigations (extending in particular to coercive measures and discretionary powers in the implementation of non-prosecution policies) the book continues as a guide through the basic principles of criminal trial, standards of evidence and rules related to conviction. Appeals and the issue of reopening criminal proceedings are also considered, with the book making particular reference to a number of special procedures (including juvenile delinquency) in the closing chapter.

The post-Mao commitment to modernization, coupled with a general revulsion against the lawlessness of the Cultural Revolution, has led to a significant law reform movement in the People's Republic of China. China's current leadership seeks to restore order and morale, to attract domestic support and external assistance for its modernization program, and to provide a secure, orderly environment for economic development. It has taken a number of steps to strengthen its laws and judicial system, among which are the PRC's first substantive and procedural criminal codes. This is the first book-length study of the most important area of Chinese law—the development, organization, and functioning of the criminal justice system in China today. It examines both the formal aspects of the criminal justice system—such as the court, the procuracy, lawyers, and criminal procedure—and the extrajudicial organs and sanctions that play important roles in the Chinese system. Based on published Chinese materials and personal interviews, the book is essential reading for persons interested in human rights and laws in China, as well as for those concerned with China's political system and economic development. The inclusion of selected documents and an extensive bibliography further enhance the value of the book.