Construction of Guilt in China

Drawing on insights from the author's own empirical data obtained from systematic observation of the daily routines within Chinese criminal justice institutions this ground-breaking book examines the functional deficiency of the criminal justice system in preventing innocent individuals from being wrongly accused and convicted. Set within a broad socio-legal context it outlines the strategic interrelationships between key legal actors the deep-seated legal culture embedded in practice the deficiency of integrity of the system and the structural injustices that follow. The author traces criminal case files in the criminal process - how they are constructed scrutinised and used to dispose of cases and convict defendants in lieu of witnesses' oral testimony. This book illustrates that the Chinese criminal justice system as a state apparatus of social control has been framed through performance indicators bureaucratic management and the central value of collectivism in such a way as to maintain the stability of the authoritarian power.<br/><br/><i>The Construction of Guilt in China</i>will appeal to academics researchers policy advisers and practitioners working in the areas of criminal law comparative criminal justice criminology and Chinese studies.