China's criminal law to be revised once more
- Source: Global Times
- [15:32 July 23 2010]
- Comments
A draft of the criminal law amendment - which will include recommendations such as reducing the number of capital offences and increasing the length of prison sentences - will reportedly be submitted to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress next month.
The draft calls for three types of crimes to be taken off the list of capital offenses, including inciting others to commit crimes, economic crimes, and crimes that can be tackled through increased legislation, such as abduction and kidnapping." Convicted criminals over the age of 70 or 75 should also be exempt from capital punishment, according to the draft.
There are currently 68 crimes that can lead to capital punishment in China, making this the country with the most capital offences in the world.
Chu Huaizhi, a professor of riminal law at Peking University said, "There is no need to have so many capital offences. Firstly, it does not effectively reduce the crime rate. And secondly, it gives people around the world a negative image of China."
Other scholars of criminal law also recommend commuting death sentences to extended time in jail, and reducing the possibility for parole. And they suggest making sure that those found guilty of serious violent crimes could be sentenced to more than 20 years in jail.
