Zhang Yu could be staring at the inside of a cell right now. After being found guilty of a serious assault in December 2010, the 18-year-old had been facing up to a year in a juvenile detention center.
Instead, he spends much of his time these days volunteering at a community center.
Zhang is one of four teenagers taking part in a pilot project run by Beijing's Xicheng district procuratorate that aims to rehabilitate young offenders through education and community service.
"Each of them needs to attend the center more than 10 hours a month, in addition to participating in social activities," said Zhao Yan, a juvenile correction official in the Xicheng district procuratorate. "If Zhang stays out of trouble while serving his sentence (at least six months), he'll face no further court action and the crime will be wiped from his record."
The project, which is managed by the Renzhu Social Work Office, is in line with new guidelines in the revised Criminal Procedure Law, which takes effect in January. However, the district decided to start early and launched it in April.
The criteria for offenders who qualify are strict: There is a designated list of crimes, including robbery, theft and public disorder, while their sentences must be no longer than a year.
A better place
When I first saw Zhang, he was taking a class on volunteering work with 20 high school students at Xinjiekou Community Center in Xicheng.
Afterward, An Na, one of two case officers with the Renzhu Social Work Office and in charge of day-to-day operations, brought the teenager to a room on the second floor for an interview.
Zhang, who hails from rural Yanqing county in the western suburbs of Beijing, sat down stiffly on a black sofa, staying largely silent with his head lowered. "He's a shy boy," An said, attempting to break the ice.
She explained that the youngster had attacked a teacher at a bus stop in Deshengmen in the winter in 2010, when he was only 17. The victim, 10 years his senior, had allegedly jumped a bus line in Yanqing, leading to one of Zhang's friends being unable to board.
Zhang, who was downtown, received a call from the friend to tell him to lie in wait and teach the teacher a lesson.
"I didn't think twice and hit the teacher's head with a brick," said Zhang. "I wanted to run away, but the guy's girlfriend grabbed my belt and called the police."
Wang Yuanyuan, director of Xicheng's prosecution authority's juvenile crime division, who was also present at the interview, said that as Zhang's offense was not serious and he confessed, he was deemed suitable for the pilot program.
"I know I did something wrong," Zhang said. "I'm just glad I could serve my sentence outside prison."
According to Wang, authorities believe the work of the Renzhu Social Work Office can prevent youngsters from committing crimes in the future, unlike detention houses that can make them more likely to reoffend.
Since April, when Zhang started visiting the Xinjiekou Community Center, he has watched educational movies about crime and the legal process, watched a juvenile case being tried in court and has taken part in volunteering work, including acting as a teaching assistant and regularly cleaning the classrooms.
"Zhang can decide when he wants to take part in activities," An said. "We'll make an appointment with him first so he can keep his privacy."
At this point in the interview, Wang Long, 23, the other case worker at Renzhu, picked up a Rubik's Cube and handed it to Zhang to play with, explaining that brain-training puzzles can be used to help correct a juvenile's behavior.
"I play badminton (with Zhang), and we often chat, so I know what he's thinking about," Wang said. "I also prepare a psychological test once a month for him, which reflects his mental state."
As the two case officers talked, Zhang went to the washroom. "He's not good at expressing his feelings and lives alone with his father, so we have to work really hard to get through to him," An said.
