Felons to face longer jail times under Chinese law amendment

Criminal offenders who are convicted of serious felonies will face longer minimum jail terms, according to a draft amendment to China's Criminal Law.

Felons sentenced to life imprisonment should serve a minimum of 13 years, instead of the current 10 years, while those given a death sentence with a two-year reprieve must serve at least 20 years, instead of the current 12 years, after their reprieve period in prison, says the draft of the eighth amendment to the Criminal Law.

The draft was submitted to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, Wednesday.

The new provisions will be only applied to inmates convicted of serious crimes like murder, rape, robbery, kidnapping, arson, bombing, poisoning, and organized violence.

The courts will be able to hand down minimum jail periods to be served after commutation along with their sentences, according to the draft.

Documents released by the NPC Standing Committee show some legislators had expressed concern that the Criminal Law lacked coherence in its penalty system.

They had argued that 10 years in prison seemed too light compared with the possibility of capital punishment for felony offenders, if they escaped a death sentence and were granted a commutation.

The NPC Standing Committee opened its bimonthly session Wednesday.

Source: Xinhua ebruary-25-2011

http://www.npc.gov.cn/englishnpc/news/Legislation/2011-02/25/content_1622648.htm