A teenager and his three classmates yesterday had an "unforgettable lesson," which they had feared would change their lives forever.

Unlike usual lessons, this "class" was held at a special court for juvenile delinquents in Chongwen District of Beijing.

After the court case, the four classmates were each fined 5,000 yuan (US$602) and given four to six months probation for crimes committed five months ago, said Wang Qiang, a judge with the juvenile court under the Chongwen District People's Court.

On October 18 last year, the four offenders beat up another middle school student who they said gave them a "provocative look," Wang said.

Established in 1988, Wang's court has dedicated itself to offering young offenders the chance to mend their ways, rather than immediately pass a harsh sentence on them.

After the four offenders' trial, the juvenile court will work with local police, their neighborhood committee and their school, judges said yesterday.

This will help them reintergrate back into society without sending them to prison.

In Chongwen District, the juvenile court is only one component of a comprehensive system that aims to help juvenile delinquents return to society as well as safeguarding the legal interests of offenders.

A symposium was held yesterday to mark the first anniversary of the system in the district.

During the coming three to six months, the four teenagers will be under strict supervision, said Wang Guixiong, an official in charge of the reform of offenders.

In China, society is becoming more and more concerned about the growing number of young offenders who seem to commit crimes more readily than before.

A recent survey from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences indicated that 70 percent of crimes are committed by teenagers and youngsters.

Wang Mingda, vice-president of the Beijing High People's Court, said, "Cooperative efforts should be made to eradicate the circumstances which lead to these offenders committing crimes."

Among the juvenile delinquents arrested since the early 1990s, 96.8 percent were held in jails on charges of robbery, murder, sexual assault and personal abuse, reported Xinhua.

Youth problems have also drawn growing attention from the governments at all levels.

According to reliable statistics, more than 2,500 juvenile courts have been established around the nation to deal with juvenile delinquency since the first was set up in 1984.

Meanwhile, some judges and legal experts argue that the number of juvenile courts is still too small a number to deal with a population of 300 million people under the age of 14.

(China Daily March 31, 2005)