Author
Mr ZHANG Xinyi
Organisation/Institution
Law School, Beijing Normal University
Country
CHINA
Panel
Law and Society
Title
Legal Literacy Gap in China’s Specialized Schools: Risks and Reforms from the Perspective of Full-time Teachers
Abstract
Specialized schools (zhuan men xue xiao) in China nowadays play an increasingly vital role in the nation’s response to juvenile delinquency and misconduct. However, as the establishment of specialized schools remains in its nascent stages nationwide, the safeguarding of the rights and interests of both staff and students has not yet received sufficient attention. Drawing on survey data from 36 full-time teachers at a specialized school in eastern China, which represents nearly the entire teaching cohort at this institution, given its small scale and closed staffing structure. This exploratory study examines the legal literacy gap among frontline staff and its implications for juvenile rights and institutional legitimacy. Findings reveal that most teachers have received little or no systematic pre-service and in-service training, despite routinely managing high-risk students with behavioral or psychological challenges. When confronted with noncompliance or emotional crises, teachers frequently resort to informal disciplinary measures such as physical exercises or public reprimands, reflecting both procedural uncertainty and a lack of legally grounded intervention tools. Notably, “legal knowledge” consistently ranks among the top competencies educators wish to improve, signaling awareness of their own preparedness gap. This deficit not only heightens the risk of rights violations, including infringements on privacy, dignity, and due process, but also exposes teachers and institutions to legal and ethical liability. Framed within China’s juvenile protection legislation, which emphasizes “education over punishment” and the best interests of the child, the current training vacuum undermines the very legitimacy of specialized education. The paper argues for a three-pronged institutional reform: (1) mandating basic legal literacy as a basic criterion of employment; (2) integrating modular, practice-oriented legal training into in-service professional development; and (3) establishing on-site legal advisory support to guide real-time decision-making. By bridging the legal literacy gap, specialized schools can transition from sites of control to spaces of lawful, rights-respecting rehabilitation, advancing China’s juvenile justice system toward greater alignment with regional and international human rights norms.
Biography
ZHANG Xinyi holds a dual bachelor's degree in Law and German from Beijing Normal University (2018-2022), followed by a Master of Science in Criminology and Criminal Justice from Leiden University (2022-2023). He is now a PhD candidate in Criminal Law at Beijing Normal University (expected graduation 2027). His academic qualifications include the 2022 Outstanding Undergraduate Thesis Award from BNU Law School and multiple student leadership awards. With extensive leadership experience, he served as Vice President of the Law School Student Union (2019-2020). His practical experience includes leading multiple social practice projects. He has led teams multiple times in teaching assistance projects, with a focus on providing legal education to adolescents in rural areas of Western China. His research focuses on resolving rights violations against marginalized groups, particularly exploring the causes of and responses to sexual crime and juvenile delinquency. His work demonstrates strong empirical research skills and a commitment to practical criminal justice applications.
