By Tim Scheu | Innovation Officer
A core aspect of IBJ’s programming is its effort to promote legal rights among ordinary people. Recognizing China’s growing commitment to the protection of juvenile rights, IBJ’s efforts in 2007 were focused on Youth Justice. Over the course of a dozen events around the country, IBJ staff reached more than 31,000 people through trainings, speeches and the distribution of materials. Through materials like “8 Reasons Why You Need a Lawyer if You are Accused of a Crime,” IBJ’s message will live well beyond the events themselves. Should these children ever be in a situation where they are detained, they will know and understand their right to counsel.
The trainings featured participants from a cross section of private and public sector law firms. Half were returning to IBJ to follow up on a previous training; half were participating for the first time. In all cases, trainees took part in an interactive, comprehensive curriculum of those skills central to full and effective representation of the accused.
In 2007, IBJ coordinated 10 round table discussions so that varied stakeholders in criminal justice could share their perspectives and work towards collaborative solutions. Those round tables in Chongqing and Tianjin were specifically intended to improve access to counsel for juvenile suspects. In Chongqing, the bar association, the city prosecutor and the police department reached an agreement in March 2007 to appoint legal aid at the investigation stage to juvenile criminal suspects. In Tianjin, legal aid and the prosecutor’s office went even further – implementing a rule guaranteeing that a legal aid lawyer or other guardian be present at all juvenile interrogations. The effect of this collaboration was immediate, driving a rapid rise in the number of cases assigned during the pretrial stage and resulting in the release of the children mentioned above.
A core aspect of IBJ’s approach is defender training and support. To that end, IBJ’s China team established a new Defender Resource Center in Xi’an to better provide for the legal aid lawyers in the Northwest part of the country. In 2007, IBJ’s core team of lawyers also trained and mentored more than 300 attorneys nationwide – representing a cross section of the defender community. Armed with pre-trial, trial and appellate advocacy techniques, these defenders have advanced more favorable outcomes for their clients.
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