Juvenile courts across China have started erasing the criminal records of some underage convicts, to prevent them from facing discrimination upon the discharge from prison.

The practice, common in the West, is being tried in China, where young people applying to enter the armed forces and some jobs are required by law to have their criminal records checked, said Shao Wenhong, a retired Supreme People's Court senior judge.

Shao said that if the trial is successful, the practice will be codified into law.

"It will be a big step forward for the protection of rights in the Chinese judicial system," Shao said.

Still, she admitted, the practice has its critics, as some local officials, employers, and victim-support groups worry it may weaken the law's punitive function and embolden criminals.

"For juvenile offenders, our job is more to educate than to punish them," Shao said.

Tan Guodong, a judicial official in Taiyuan, capital city of Shanxi Province, urged the high court to make the standards clear.

During the trial period, offenders under 18 years of age and sentenced to less than three years in jail or detention will have their criminal records cleared upon serving their jail term.

Those who qualify were mostly jailed for minor offenses such as theft or robbery, which account for 20 to 40 percent of all the convictions of minors in China, court figures show.

About 430,000 minors were convicted in criminal cases in China in the 2000 to 2006 period.

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