Government favors rehabilitation over incarceration

The number of juvenile offenders detained but released without charge has risen in the past five years because prosecutors are focusing on rehabilitation and education rather than punishment, according to the Supreme People's Procuratorate, the country's top prosecuting body.

The latest statistics released by the procuratorate show that 39,000 juvenile offenders were prosecuted last year, while 8,800 were released without charge. That resulted in a non-prosecution rate of 18.4 percent, a noticeable rise from the 2012 figure of 6.6 percent.

The rise resulted partly from the fact that prosecutors dealing with young offenders are required to highlight education to avoid adverse affects that can result from conviction and imprisonment, said Shi Weizhong, deputy director of juvenile prosecution at the procuratorate.