Chinese courts to have 200,000 people's jurors

BEIJING - China's courts at all levels will have about 200,000 people's jurors in the next two years, the Supreme People's Court said on Thursday.

According to statistics of the Supreme People's Court, local courts around the country currently employ 85,000 people's jurors, which has increased by 52 percent from that of 2008.

It asked local courts to hire more workers, farmers, migrant workers, veterans and community residents to serve as people's jurors.

People's jurors participated in 1.48 million court trials in 2012, nearly three times more than that of 2008, it said.

According to China's laws, people's jurors are selected and employed by courts at all levels to help judges make fair and just decisions by hearing court trials.

Citizens who serve in law enforcement organs or with criminal records could not be hired.