Rule sealing juvenile records may be revised_美文

Rule sealing juvenile records may be revised

"In other words, almost every department has the right to a person's criminal record if they can provide a reason," he said, which is contrary to the original intent.

Chen Yunhong, Zheng's colleague, also said the reasons for looking up the records should not be loosened too much or else the article is useless.

He suggested courts be authorized to decide whether other departments or organs have the right to see youngsters' criminal records, saying the enquiry must also be based on these authorities' applicants.

For Yao Jianlong, a professor specializing in criminal justice at Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, problems also lie with the fact that the rules allow the sealing of criminal records based on the juvenile offenders' sentence.

About 80 percent of minors receive sentences of less than five years, he said,citing a survey by the university, "but the article does not apply to all of them".

In the United States, minors who commit violent crimes, such as rape or murder, will not have such crimes struck from their records because such offenders pose great danger to the public, he added.

Lin Wei, a professor at China Youth University for Political Sciences, said legislators should take public security into consideration.

"The public has a right to know what kind of people are living around them," he said.

Lin also called for punishment for those who release a young offender's case, be they police officers, prosecutors, judges, community correction workers or school employees.