SAN FRANCISCO (APRIL 7, 2010) – On April 6, The Dui Hua Foundation hosted a dinner program at the University Club of San Francisco to introduce its 2010 Juvenile Justice Delegation, which will visit China in May, and share the foundation’s ongoing work on juvenile justice in China and the United States.

The evening brought together members of the 2010 delegation, as well as distinguished members of the San Francisco judiciary, Bay Area professionals working in juvenile justice and other criminal justice areas, and long-time Dui Hua supporters and friends. Representatives of the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco attended the event, and Deputy Consul General Lu Wenxiang made introductory remarks in which he lauded Dui Hua’s Executive Director John Kamm and the foundation for many years of promoting dialogue and good relations between the United States and China. With more than 100 attendees, the program is the largest public event to date organized by Dui Hua.

In her introductory remarks, San Francisco Superior Court Judge and delegation leader Lillian Sing pointed to the historic nature of the juvenile justice exchange, and cited the positive impact on juvenile justice reform in China of a previous delegation: the October 2008 Supreme People’s Court study delegation to the United States, which was hosted by Dui Hua with the support of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Especially noteworthy is China’s interest in the probation officer system and the sealing of juvenile records, as well as the increased use, on a trial basis, of “postponed prosecution,” a practice similar to “diversion” in the juvenile justice system in the United States. Judge Sing also introduced the members the upcoming delegation to China as well members of the Board of Directors of The Dui Hua Foundation.

In his remarks, Executive Director Kamm thanked Hong Kong’s Fu Tak Iam Foundation for its generous support of the 2010 juvenile justice delegation to China. He also thanked the many members of the Bay Area’s Chinese community who have stepped forward to help make the visit possible.

The 2010 delegation, which will visit Beijing and Qingdao from May 9 to May 15 at the invitation of the Supreme People’s Court, is made up of Judge Lillian Sing (San Francisco Superior Court Judge and delegation leader), Judge Julie Tang (presiding judge of the San Francisco Juvenile Court), Ms. Patricia Lee (Managing Attorney for the Juvenile Division of the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office), Mr. Allen Nance (Assistant Chief Probation Officer, City and County of San Francisco), and Ms. Laurie Garduque, (Program Director for Juvenile Justice, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation). Accompanying the delegation will be Dui Hua’s Senior Manager for Research Joshua Rosenzweig and two interpreters, Ms. Sonia Ng and Mr. Chi-ho Chan.

Kamm noted that the United States and China will soon hold the 15th session of the bilateral human rights dialogue. “The United States and China have many disagreements in the area of human rights, but not enough effort has been put into identifying areas where the two countries can work together. Juvenile justice is an area where the two countries can cooperate to their mutual benefit.” Kamm suggested other areas where China and the United States can learn from each other and help each other, including women in detention and health in detention. “If we can work well together in areas where there is common ground, we might well find that talking with each other on issues where we don’t agree will prove easier and more productive.”

Learn more about Dui Hua’s Juvenile Justice Initiative, including information on juvenile justice in China, the 2010 delegation, and the Dui Hua-hosted delegation from China’s Supreme People’s Court who studied the US juvenile justice system in 2008.

The Dui Hua Foundation
San Francisco, California
April 7, 2010