Different from the traditional methods, criminal mediation in public prosecution cases is a novel way to deal with crimes, and has been tried out in the judicial practice of some cities and districts in China. Through field investigation, observation, experiment and other empirical methods, this article aims to discuss the justifications of criminal mediation, analyze its application, positive functions and existing problems, and explore its feasible models in our country. There have been some popular theoretical hypotheses on the contents of criminal mediation, the case scope of its application, the composition of its facilitator and participants, the proper ways of enforcing the criminal mediation, the amount of time and work needed for resolution, the determinant factors for success, its matching systems and effects, and so on. According to our empirical study, some of them are proved to be correct, some are partially correct and others are totally wrong.Our empirical study has also tested the functions of criminal mediation and supported its justifications with hard data. More importantly, it objectively discloses the status quo of criminal mediation in China from a comprehensive perspective. In different parts of China, the applications of criminal mediation vary sharply, and the requirements for applying mediation are not standard and written into law. The facilitator’s professional capacity and skills need to be improved and the participants are not diverse in most districts. The way of fulfilling obligation by the offender is mainly economic compensation, but to similar cases the amounts often have large discrepancy. The proceeding of the criminal cases after successful mediation may jump back to the former stage, but relevant matching systems are lacking.To fully exert the functions of criminal mediation, there are still many systems and work mechanisms to be improved. This study has provided the cognitive base and premise for exploring the feasible model of criminal mediation in China. |