Community service instead of prisons

Around 1.16 million convicts in China have served or are serving their sentences in communities instead of prisons since 2003 as part of the country's efforts to prepare criminals for a smooth return to society, vice minister of Justice Zhao Dacheng said Tuesday.

More than 650,000 convicts have completed their sentence in community corrections, Zhao said.

He dismissed concerns that convicts pose a threat to the public, saying only 0.2 percent of them committed crimes while serving in communities, a low rate compared to similar programs in other countries.

China began its program of community corrections in 2003 in Beijing, Shanghai and four other areas, and extended it in 2009.

Under such a program, convicts are required to report to judicial departments or periodically submit written reports.

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