Author(s)

Jianfu Tian ¹

Affiliation(s)

¹ Law School, Hunan University, Lushan South Street, Yuelu District, Changsha City, Hunan Province, 410082, China

Corresponding Author

Jianfu Tian

ABSTRACT

Many studies and theories found discrimination against ethnic minorities in the criminal justice system in the West, there is a lack of similar research on the sentencing of ethnic minorities in China. Basing on a sampling of drug case judgments from 31 provinces in China, this study found no difference in sentencing between Chinese ethnic minorities and individuals of Han ethnic group with regard to fixed-term imprisonment. However, with regard to life imprisonment and death sentences, ethnic minorities received more lenient treatment, which is inconsistent with the predictions of Western theory, also implies that traditional Confucianism continues to influence China's criminal justice system.

KEYWORDS

Ethnic minorities, ethnic policy, drug crimes, punishment, Confucianism

CITE THIS PAPER

Jianfu Tian, The Fairness of Sentencing for Ethnic Minorities: An Empirical Study on Drug Crime and Sentencing in China. Journal of Sociology and Ethnology (2023) Vol. 5: 67-79. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/jsoce.2023.050311.

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