Community correction

in Shanghai

The Department of Community Correction (DCC) of Shanghai has been established this year to activate a community-based supervision system that allows offenders to live at home under some community restrictions. As a touchstone of this new concept of criminal justice practice, the implementation of community correction in Shanghai will surely play a pioneering role in China's legal reform.

According to Chinese criminal law, there are five programmes that can replace incarceration when the offense is slight or the offender is ill: administrative supervision, probation, parole, deprivation of political rights and medical treating out of jail. In the past, the supervision of out-of-jail offenders has been executed by local public security bureaus (police) alone. Rather than correction, punishment was the major purpose.

The mission of the new community correction system is to promote public safety through the effective supervision of offenders placed under community supervision and to provide supervision programmes and treatment services, such as community service work or educational/vocational training that promote long-term self-sufficient, law-abiding behaviour by offenders.

The Shanghai government has recruited nearly 1,360 social workers to start the new project.

With the implementation of community correction, hopefully, the Shanghai government will deliver on its crime-prevention promises.

Wang Tao

Slaves of lust

While the reform and opening up policy has injected vitality into Chinese life, it has also contributed to the fading of our long-held concepts about sex and marriage. Suffering from long-term sexual repression, China, once a conservative nation, has now embarked on a so-called "sexually enlightened" road. In strong contrast to our age-old practice of one-man-for-ever, we Chinese, today, have transcended the boundaries of such morality with some even dipping their finger into "taboo areas". News about one-night stands, premarital sex and extramarital affairs floods into our awareness. There is a growing indifference to chastity among adolescents and an increasing prevalence of prostitution.

The ABC policies for AIDS prevention suddenly flash through my mind. Abstinence is mission impossible, being faithful to your spouse is admirable while condom using is acceptable.

Kong Yi