Social Participation in Community Corrections: A Qualitative Analysis of Justice Practices in China

• Published date: 01 February 2025
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/00938548241286863
• Author: Haoran Xu,Xiaomei Liu
• Date: 01 February 2025
• Subject Matter: Articles

CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND BEHAVIOR, 2025, Vol. 52, No. 2, February 2025, 197 –213.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/00938548241286863

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© 2024 International Association for Correctional and Forensic Psychology

197

SOCIAL PARTICIPATION IN COMMUNITY

CORRECTIONS

A Qualitative Analysis of Justice Practices in China

HAORAN XU

Southwest University of Political Science and Law

XIAOMEI LIU

Tiangong University

In China, the widespread implementation of community corrections is a key strategy designed to reduce the burden on the

criminal justice system. This strategy prominently features social participation as a critical element. This study delves into

the effects of social participation on correctional practices by conducting in-depth interviews with a diverse group of stake-

holders, including community corrections officials, judicial police, community workers, and counselors. Our findings reveal

a predominant government-led approach to social participation, where government-funded social organizations play a major

role. The research also highlights significant role conflicts and jurisdictional ambiguities within the system, which may arise

from unclear criminal policies. These conflicts and ambiguities underline the challenges in the current implementation of

community corrections. By examining these dynamics, the study suggests that refining the government-led model of social

participation could provide more effective strategies for enhancing civic engagement and improving the efficacy of com-

munity correction.

Keywords: social participation; community corrections; criminal justice policy; role conflict; policy ambiguity

INTRODUCTION

The concept of community corrections serves as an integral part of the criminal justice

system across various countries, including the United States, Germany, and the United

Kingdom (Gordon et al., 2015; Zhang et al., 2022). Designed as a non-custodial form

of sentence enforcement, these programs function as a bridge between incarceration and

reintegration into society, offering probationers the opportunity to continue their daily rou-

tines under supervised freedom (Kratcoski, 2023). Despite the program’s goals of reducing

recidivism and easing the burdens on prison systems, it faces critical challenges such as

AUTHORS’ NOTE: The first and corresponding authors of this manuscript have not recently submitted or

published similar manuscripts in other journals using the same or similar data. Correspondence concerning

this article should be addressed to Xiaomei Liu, Law School, Tiangong University, No. 399 BinShuiXi Road,

XiQing District, Tianjin 300387, P.R. China; e-mail: liuxiaomei@tiangong.edu.cn.

1286863CJBXXX10.1177/00938548241286863Criminal Justice and BehaviorXu, Liu / Short Title

research-article2024

198 CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND BEHAVIOR

ineffective risk assessments, the potential for misuse of surveillance technologies, and the

persistence of recidivism (DeMichele & Payne, 2009; Wildeman & Wang, 2017).

Given these challenges, this study focuses on exploring the effectiveness of social

engagement policies as a strategic component of community corrections within different

national frameworks. This exploration is particularly centered on how such policies can

be optimized to support reintegration and reduce recidivism, drawing upon successful

models from the Chinese judiciary among others. In this regard, community corrections

not only fulfill the function of sentence enforcement but also operate as a “back-end pro-

gram” within the justice system, facilitating the reintegration of individuals into society.

This approach has shown advantages in relieving pressure on prisons and reducing the

costs associated with justice administration (Clear & Schrantz, 2011; Lofstrom & Raphael,

2016).

Despite earlier attempts by local justice departments to implement community correc-

tions at Shanghai in 2003, it was not until 2019 that the Chinese government officially

enacted the Community Correction Law and established the nationwide community correc-

tion system. This system clearly delineates the responsibilities and duties of the relevant

departments involved in community corrections (Ministry of Justice, 2019). Specifically,

the community corrections department is affiliated with the Justice Ministry (Figure 1), and

Figure 1: Administrative Levels of Community Correctional Institutions on China