Zhou Qiang, president of China's Supreme People's Court, at the third plenary session of the National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, in March 2014. (Photo : Reuters)
The Chinese government is set to introduce pilot plans for the country’s jury system, aimed at boosting public accountability and transparency, according to a report published by english.cri.cn.
The report said that the proposed changes to the jury system have the full support of the country's Supreme Court and legal observers.
Jurors will be randomly selected from public under the new plans, unlike in the past when jurors are chosen and tapped by application or recommendation.
Zhou Qiang, president of the Supreme People's Court, said that this will help make the system more accountable to the public.
"The reform of the jury system will see the public participate in the judicial process more extensively. In this way, the jurors and judges can work more closely to help make individual cases more clear and assure justice is achieved," Zhou added.
Chen Weidong, legal observer with Renmin University, said that China's current jury system is very much different from that of the U.S. or other parts of the world.
"Unlike the U.K. or the U.S. where the facts of cases are totally decided by a jury, judges in our country are also involved in adjudicating the case, as they have to decide which law should be applied," Chen was quoted as saying.
As traditionally practiced, jurors in China are picked from a national pool to preside over individual cases. Under the proposed changes to the jury system, major cases will have more jurors, the report said.
Under the present jury system, a case is limited to two jurors.
The other proposed changes to the system include lowering the education requirements for jurors.
