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US
Programs
Dui Hua is committed to
furthering exchange with China in the field of criminal justice in the
United States in order to maintain a mutually respectful dialogue on
human rights. To this end, the foundation has developed programs that increase
understanding of the US correctional and legal systems for officials of
China’s justice system.
As part of Dui Hua’s Special Programs in the
Bay Area, Chinese officials have accompanied foundation staff and board
members on tours of correctional institutions including county jails,
juvenile detention centers, state prisons and federal prisons. Chinese
visitors also have observed court proceedings and interviewed American
justice officials. Such activities have promoted open dialogue and
exchange between professionals working in the two countries’ criminal
justice and penal systems.
In San Francisco, the foundation and its guests have observed
judicial proceedings at the San Francisco Superior Court, toured youth
detention facilities, and visited jail facilities adjacent to the San
Francisco Hall of Justice. Dui Hua has also toured the Federal
Correctional Institution (FCI) in Dublin, California, one of only three
federal prisons for women in the country, San Quentin State Prison, the
FCI in Inglewood, Colorado, the Santa Clara County Department of
Correction, and the San Bruno Jail.
As another main component of its US programs, Dui Hua has shared
information about US penal and legal issues with Chinese officials in
China. The foundation has provided publicly accessible information on US
prisoners serving terms for national security crimes as well as
statistics on national defense violations to representatives of China’s
Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Supreme
People’s Court. On several occasions, Dui Hua has given
publications about US laws to these ministries and other Chinese bodies
involved in criminal justice and human rights work.
Of special importance are
presentations given to Chinese audiences of criminal law experts and law
enforcement officials. In November 2007, Dui Hua explored the debate
over lethal injection in the United States with Chinese law professors
and students in Wuhan, Hubei Province, and Beijing. While in the Hubei
city of Yichang, the foundation introduced the concept of citizen
oversight of police forces to a large audience of policemen and
prosecutors.
In each issue of its quarterly newsletter,
Dialogue, Dui Hua
devotes at least one article to questions of human rights in the United
States. Recent articles have examined the US death penalty, especially
the use of lethal injection, the incidence of suicide among US
prisoners, and openness of the domestic judicial system.
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