The number of jurors will be increased by almost 15,000 this year to enhance public participation in trials and legal rulings, the Supreme People's Court (SPC) said yesterday.
The country has 55,681 jurors but aims to boost that figure to 70,000 by October.
In 2004, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), the top legislative body, ordered courts to form judicial committees made up of judges and jurors to hear criminal, civil and administrative cases.
Jurors are nominated by governments, are appointed by people's congresses at various levels and serve five-year terms, during which they comment on evidence during trials and advise judges.
"The SPC will reform the selection, training and appraisal system of jurors, improving their role in bridging the public and legal practitioners," SPC spokesman Sun Jungong said yesterday.
Courts at intermediate and district levels will also hold at least two meetings every year to hear jurors' opinions, the SPC said in a guideline.
Zhao Weizhong has been a juror in Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi province, for four years and has been involved in around 400 trials.
He told China Daily: "Jurors have played an important role by making suggestions from an ordinary people's angle during the trials, especially during the judicial mediation with civil cases."
Ren Jin, a professor at the National School of Administration, said recruiting more jurors would reduce the pressure on judges in high-profile cases and secure fairer verdicts. But he called for terms to be shorter "so more people could become jurors".
Meanwhile, the SPC has said leading officials in China's 3,500-plus courts should chat with netizens at least once a year. Sun added: "Officials should extensively hear Internet users' opinions. We should let the public know how much we appreciate their opinions."
Chinese courts are facing increasing pressure to ensure fair and efficient trials and fight corruption, Sun said, adding that the financial crisis also posed new challenges to them.
Source: China Daily
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