Special courtroom set up

Beijing High People's Court established a specialist court, with experienced judges, to comprehensively handle juvenile cases, criminal and civil, in April.

It is the first courtroom specifically set up to deal with minors in the high people's courts, according to Zhao Deyun, presiding judge of the juvenile department with the court.

More than 130 judges have been assigned to handle minor cases in the capital's courts and 40 percent have been engaged in juvenile work over five years.

"The comprehensive court will select 20 of these judges," she said.

In the past five years, Beijing courts have heard more than 7,000 minor criminal cases, handing out punishment to more than 9,000 young offenders.

Of these, about 34 percent got non-custodial penalties.

In addition, more than 10,000 civil cases, involving 11,000 minors, have been tried in the same period.