Juvenile offenders sent home to get help

Juveniles from Jiangsu province who commit crimes in Shanghai can be brought to their hometown for redemption and supervision thanks to the country's first intra-provincial cooperation in juvenile prosecutions.

The agreement between Shanghai and Jiangsu province will make minors involved in crimes more equal in judicial protection, said Yi Shenghua, a criminal lawyer in Beijing.

Since 2003, most juveniles committing minor crimes in Shanghai have been given an opportunity to wipe the slate clean instead of receiving a prison term. If the young offenders have guardians or a fixed residence in Shanghai, they can be supervised in communities to keep them on the straight and narrow, instead of being arrested and prosecuted, in order to better protect juveniles while maintaining social stability.