Ying Yong, Prosecutor General of the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP), delivers a report on the SPP's work on the supervision over the execution of criminal punishment by the people's procuratorates at the 18th session of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress in Beijing on Oct 26.
Ying Yong, Prosecutor General of the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP), delivered a report on the SPP's work of supervision over the execution of criminal punishment by the people's procuratorates at the 18th session of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress in Beijing on Oct 26.
In his speech, Ying stated that supervision over the execution of criminal punishment is a vital part of procuratorial legal oversight and an important component of criminal execution supervision. He noted that the people's procuratorates, by performing this duty in accordance with the law and handling every case with high quality and efficiency, effectively punish crimes, maintain social stability, safeguard human rights, and uphold justice, ensuring that the public feels fairness and justice in every judicial case and advancing the Peaceful China Initiative and the building of a law-based China to a higher level.
Ying highlighted the continuous improvements in the country's systems and mechanisms for criminal punishment execution and the strengthened supervision over the execution of criminal punishment since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012. He noted in the report that from January 2021 to September this year, procuratorates issued 971,000 correction opinions on the supervision of this matter. Ying noted that effective efforts have been made to ensure security and stability of detention facilities by prosecuting 1,811 individuals for serious violent crimes and 803 for crimes disrupting order in detention facilities. To prevent risks in non-custodial execution, procuratorates urged the re-incarceration of 17,000 individuals who had seriously violated management rules or no longer met the conditions for non-custodial execution. Supervision over correction through education has been enhanced to help offenders rehabilitate and reintegrate into society, according to the report.
Ying also reported the progress in the supervision over the handover for penalty execution, noting that, through the collaboration with relevant departments, procuratorates rectified 96,000 cases where prisoners sentenced to imprisonment had not been transferred for execution. Furthermore, procuratorial organs have exercised oversight on changes in penalty execution and non-custodial execution in accordance with the law, issuing 154,000 correction opinions for community correctional centers failing to fulfill their statutory duties, he said
Procuratorates also conducted supervision over property-related execution of criminal judgments through issuing correction opinions on illegal practices such as passive execution or improper termination of execution, according to Ying. They also investigated and handled duty-related crimes committed by judicial staff in the field of criminal punishment execution, initiating investigation of 1,735 individuals, as an effort to combat judicial corruption and uphold impartial justice, he added.
Ying pointed out that efforts have been made to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of detainees, including their rights to file complaints, report violations, and appeal, as well as their rights to life and health. Legal oversight was also exercised over all juvenile detention facilities and community correctional institutions to protect the legitimate rights and interests of juveniles in custody or serving sentences, he noted.
In addition, Ying emphasized the establishment of a supervision mechanism featuring "stationing + circuit + technology" to enhance the quality and effectiveness of supervision over the execution of criminal punishment. The role of stationing procuratorial inspection has been further consolidated by optimizing organization, staffing, work systems, and raising professional standards, he said. Highlighting the significant role of circuit procuratorial inspections, he noted that the SPP has organized interprovincial inspections in 20 prisons across 20 provinces and 21 detention houses across 18 provinces, while procuratorates nationwide conducted 3,723 circuit inspections in prisons and 5,122 in detention centers. Furthermore, digital empowerment was deepened, with 144,000 supervision clues identified through the application of big data legal supervision models, Ying added.
Efforts have been intensified to enhance capacity-building within the procuratorial system, with a focus on professional competence, case guidance, and the comprehensive and accurate implementation of the judicial responsibility system to improve the quality and effectiveness of criminal punishment oversight, Ying said.
Ying acknowledged that challenges remain in the supervision over the execution of criminal punishment, including room for improving quality and efficiency, institutional gaps, insufficient professional capabilities, and relatively weak foundation building. He pledged that the SPP will earnestly implement review opinions of this meeting, uphold the Party's absolute leadership over procuratorial work, and further intensify oversight efforts. By improving mechanisms, enhancing collaboration, and bolstering professional competence, the SPP aims to tackle prominent issues and enhance oversight quality to promote stricter law enforcement and impartial justice.
He called for strengthening legal and institutional resources for the supervision of criminal punishment execution, further clarifying the scope of legal supervision duties of procuratorial organs, the procedures for performing these duties, and the effectiveness of supervision, and defining the legal status, functions, and operational mechanisms of the dispatched procuratorates and procuratorial offices stationed in supervisory locations.
