Zero reoffences in Shanghai's Xuhui district for eight years

The reoffending rate of criminals under community correction in Shanghai fell to 0.09 percent last year, much lower than the national average of 0.2 percent, the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Justice said recently.

Seven districts in Shanghai had no cases of recidivism last year. Among these districts, Xuhui has not had a case for eight consecutive years, according to the bureau.

The key to Xuhui's success, according to officials, is its five bases that provide education on Chinese culture, law, moral education, public welfare laboring, and caring for the children of lawbreakers. There is also a community correction center that serves as the core of these efforts.

"We regularly organize these individuals to participate in social welfare projects, such as singing in communities and being a helping hand for those in the hospice care institutions, to inspire their kindness," said Zheng Lu, a social worker.

The district also provides centralized education and online education that help offenders reintegrate into the society.

Technology has also played a part. Following the implementation of the Community Correction Law in 2020, the Xuhui bureau leveraged its smart correction information platform to share data and information with other offices within the district.

Last year, the community correction center of the Xuhui judicial bureau launched a charity service that saw individuals under community correction knitting 88 sets of scarves and hats for children from low-income families in Yuanyang county, Yunnan province.

"At first, I thought weaving was kind of troublesome, and it would be more direct to donate money and materials. However, after participating in this event, I got a sense of fulfillment that donation would not bring. Love contained in a scarf is priceless despite its low cost," said a person currently serving community correction in the district.

More than 90 percent of the individuals undergoing community correction in Shanghai are criminals on probation. Among them, first-time offenders, casual offenders, and negligent ones are more common, said legal experts.

Shanghai first piloted community correction in 2002. In recent years, the city has on average accepted over 14,000 people for community correction each year, with the reoffending rate at under 0.2 percent.

Yang Hong contributed to this story.