NCJ Number
239917
Journal
British Journal of Criminology Volume: 52 Issue: 4 Dated: July 2012 Pages: 724-743
Date Published
July 2012
Length
20 pages
Annotation
By drawing on publicly available data online, this study analyzed the Deng Yujiao case to demonstrate how online public opinion can affect the judicial decision of a sensational case.
Abstract
In recent years, the rise of online mass protests targeting high-profile criminal cases has become a prominent social phenomenon in China. In this study, the author explores how the Chinese Government responds to netizens as well as how public opinion via the internet influences the administration of criminal justice within the Chinese context. By drawing on publicly available data online, the author analyzed the Deng Yujiao case to demonstrate how online public opinion could affect the judicial decision of a sensational case. The author concluded that the rise of public participation promoted by the internet adds democratic elements to the Chinese criminal justice system by providing a means to monitor the exercise of governmental power and protect the rights of the disadvantaged. (Published Abstract)