Recently, the Supreme People's Court and the Ministry of Justice have issued the Pilot Program of the People's Juror System Reform (the "Program").
According to the Program, the conditions for selection of people's jurors shall be reformed; the procedures for selection of the same shall be improved and the scope of participation by the same shall be enlarged. Specifically, the people's juror system shall, in principle, apply to the trial of the first-instance criminal, civil and administrative cases that involve the masses benefits or social interests and have attracted much public attention or brought other significant social influence, as well as the first-instance criminal cases that involve possible sentence of fixed-term imprisonment of not less than ten years or life imprisonment. The Program states that the people's jurors shall express their independent opinions on issues concerning fact finding of a case when deliberating on the case but not on issues concerning law application. Both the people's jurors and the judge shall be liable for the fact finding of a case; however, if there is any disagreement, the fact finding of the case by the majority shall prevail, with the opinion of the minority included in the relevant record.