Budget constraints
Questions also exist over the standards and funding for background reports on offenders and on the presence of appropriate adults during the young person's contact with the justice system. As it stands, Fu said, it is unclear where the money is meant to come from, how much should be spent and who is qualified to be an appropriate adult.
In Beijing's Chaoyang district, college law school professors usually compile reports that look at a young person's family and education background and are presented to prosecutors and judges. However, in Haidian district it is mainly social workers who do this job.
"I'm told Haidian prosecutors spend 2,000 yuan ($320) per report, but we (in Chaoyang) pay just 500 yuan," Fu said.
Yue from the municipal procuratorate confirmed the capital has no rules on who should compile the reports, which under the revised law are not compulsory, nor do the reports feature in the city's judicial budget.
The same goes for appropriate adults, who are required at all questioning if a youth's legal guardian is unavailable.
Last year, 325 people acted as appropriate adults as part of a pilot program in Beijing. They mostly included lawyers and social workers, yet Yue insists a standard needs to be set and legal training provided.
"Some social workers have responsibility but are short on experience or have no legal knowledge," she said, adding that training also requires money from the government.
"Generally, the revised law sets out principles for dealing with juvenile offenders, but the more specific guidelines there are, the better for prosecutors," Yue added.
Beauties at Beijing Film Academy enrollment site
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