It said that there had been results under the Chinese Supreme Court’s Seco
nd Five-Year Reform Plan in several areas. These included reforming the system of court adjudication committees and the system of criminal evidence, attempts to reform the prison system and extend the practice of individual investigations, improvements to the advisory and legal aid system, public hearings in cases where the death penalty is being considered in a court of second insta
nce, sound or video recordings of hearings to prevent torture, avoidance of over
...[+++]long detention periods through better supervision mechanisms and smoother reporting channels, the protection of farmers’ rights and improvements to legislation on the right to work, and the protection of the rights of vulnerable population groups, including opportunities for the partially abled and disabled for rehabilitation and work.