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Committee Composition

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Judicial Discretion within Adjudicative Committee Proceedings in China

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Abstract

Multiple actor participation increases ambiguity in the goals of actors and creates inaccurate information. Both of these two aspects, as discussed in the previous chapters, give rise to discretion in the decision-making process. For a particular type of group, the effects of multiple actors on group decision-making can be explored by analyzing the attributes of the members in that group. Three attributes of the AC members are therefore examined: hierarchical position, knowledge, and participation of the procurator-generals. It is found that reforms and practices in hierarchy position and knowledge mainly help to promote the capabilities of the committee in terms of communication and the pooling of information, which decrease the chances of inaccurate information and discretionary decision-making.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    March thinks cooperation among families could also be explained to be based upon a contract (March 1994, p. 131).

  2. 2.

    Courts are divided into substantive divisions and administrative divisions. The substantive division primarily includes criminal, civil, administrative, case filing, judicial supervision, petitions and appeals, intellectual property, juvenile, and enforcement divisions.

  3. 3.

    This decision is not made available on the Internet. However, its contents have been quoted by many documents (e.g., Yu 2007, 2 February).

  4. 4.

    Question outline 4, interview note 1 from Interviewee 5. The effects of diversity in hierarchical positions on committee member participation are not strongly supported by the interviewees. The other four assistant judges did not feel that hierarchy positions affect AC member participation. The reason for the different feelings may be that Interviewee 5 has more experience at the AC meetings and is more sensitive to the atmosphere.

  5. 5.

    According to the group theory, members of a group take on different roles in group communication. Kenneth D. Benne and Paul Sheats suggest three types of roles that group members can take on in group activities: individual, maintenance, and task. Members who take on individual roles may detract from what the group is trying to do by attacking other members, not being involved in the decision-making, taking up the group’s time with irrelevant comments, and opposing ideas brought up by others. Members who assume maintenance roles may try to build harmony among members by providing support or acceptance for ideas of others, suggesting an idea that everyone will like, and helping to provide a good climate for the group. Members who played task roles may assist with the group goal accomplishment by offering new ideas, asking for clarification of ideas, contributing relevant information, keeping the discussion on track, and evaluating the adequacy of the group’s information (Benne and Sheats 1948; Schultz 1989).

  6. 6.

    The role of information giver is a task role. Benne and Sheats describe that “[t]he information giver offers facts or generalizations which are ‘authoritative’ or relates his own experience pertinently to the group problem” (Benne and Sheats 1948, p. 43).

  7. 7.

    The role of elaborator is a task role. Benne and Sheats describe that “[t]he elaborator spells out suggestions in terms of examples or developed meanings, offers a rationale for suggestions previously made and tries to deduce how an idea or suggestion would work out if adopted by the group” (Benne and Sheats 1948, p. 43).

  8. 8.

    The role of initiator is a task role. Benne and Sheats describe that “[t]he initiator-contributor suggests or proposes to the group new ideas or a changed way of regarding the group problem or goal” (Benne and Sheats 1948, p. 43).

  9. 9.

    The role of follower is a maintenance role. Benne and Sheats describe that “[t]he follower goes along with the movement of the group, more or less passively accepting the ideas of others, serving as an audience in group discussion and decision” (Benne and Sheats 1948, p. 45).

  10. 10.

    For Foucault, knowledge makes it possible to ground a judgment in truth, such as knowledge of the offense, knowledge of the offender, and knowledge of the law in a criminal case (Foucault 1977, p. 19).

  11. 11.

    Question outline 1, interview note 2.1.5 from Interviewee 9.

  12. 12.

    Question outline 4, interview note 2 from Interviewee 2.

  13. 13.

    Question outline 4, interview note 2 from Interviewee 2.

  14. 14.

    Question outline 4, interview note 2 from Interviewee 3.

  15. 15.

    Question outline 4, interview note 2 from Interviewee 3.

  16. 16.

    Question outline 4, interview note 2 from Interviewee 4.

  17. 17.

    Question outline 4, interview note 2 from Interviewee 5.

  18. 18.

    The roles of information seeker, initiator, information giver, and opinion giver are task roles. Benne and Sheats describe that “[t]he information seeker asks for clarification of suggestions made in terms of their factual adequacy, for authoritative information and facts pertinent to the problem being discussed…. The information giver offers facts or generalizations which are ‘authoritative’ or relates his own experience pertinently to the group problem….The opinion giver states his belief or opinion pertinently to a suggestion made or to alternative suggestions” (Benne and Sheats 1948, p. 43).

  19. 19.

    The SPP tends to strengthen the participation of procurator-generals at AC meetings (e.g., SPP 2009).

  20. 20.

    Prosecutorial protest ratio = number of prosecutorial protest cases/number of completed cases.

  21. 21.

    It provides that any unit or individual, upon discovering the facts of a crime or a criminal suspect, shall have the right and duty to report the case or provide information to a public security organ, a people’s procuratorate or a people’s court.

  22. 22.

    It provides that cases tried in the people’s court as an economic dispute in civil cases should be reported to the police or People’s Procuratorate, where any economic offenses are involved.

  23. 23.

    This case is found in Professor Chen Ruihua’s article (Chen 1998, pp. 402–403).

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  1. School of Law, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China

    Li Li

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Li, L. (2014). Committee Composition. In: Judicial Discretion within Adjudicative Committee Proceedings in China. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-54041-7_5

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