"Why do you steal cigarettes?" Li Yang asked. The child opposite was only fifteen or sixteen years old. He looked up at Li Yang with no shirks, "To give it to your brothers, you have face."
This is the scene of Li Yang's interrogation. Li Yang's heart sank when he heard the child's answer. He knew that behind this child, there must be a fragmented family, and because of the lack of love, he sought recognition in the relationship between his peers.
Li Yang was transferred to the Minor Case Review Squadron of Haidian Branch since 2019. Previously, he had 10 years of experience in serious case review.
For him, it is not difficult to interrogate minor cases. These teenagers have immature views and are not sound mindful. They should give them enough understanding and respect they should have. "Only by giving them confidence can they resist the temptation of bad information from outside world and do not have to rely on stealing and fighting to get satisfaction."
Over the past year, there have been more than 300 minor crimes involving Li Yang in interrogation.
He will also contact minor victims. In April this year, the boy Dongsheng was unable to obtain admission because he did not have a legal identity certificate and his guardian was not around. After dozens of contacts with various departments, Li Yang helped him to enter school smoothly and became the "police father" in his children's words. In addition to the interrogation of
, Li Yang also continued to learn from judicial social workers and explore the help and reform of the wronged teenagers.
"The heart is like flowers and trees, all born towards the sun." Li Yang always believes, "These children are very powerful, but we need not to abandon them when necessary and help them find light." Li Yang at work in
. Photo by Li Kaixiang, reporter of Beijing News
"Behind the case, a fragmented family"
In his spare time, Li Yang likes to exercise, empty his body and brain, and then pours out the negative emotions of the day.
Previously, he had been in the Serious Case Review Squadron for more than 10 years. Li Yang understood the interrogation of these major criminal cases as a psychological secret war with the suspects, allowing them to recognize their mistakes in the face of major issues and demonstrate the dignity of the law.
was transferred to the minor case review squadron since early 2019. Li Yang contacted them every day basically all common cases of minors stealing and fighting. There are fewer major cases, but more things that make him worry. "Behind every case, there is a fragmented family."
What impressed Li Yang the most was Shao Hua, the suspect in a theft case. In 2019, 17-year-old Zhaohua was controlled by the police for suspected motorcycle theft. This is his fourth time entering the interrogation room.
"Why steal motorcycles?" Li Yang asked directly, and Shao Hua did not shy away, "Because I am a motorcycle fan."
"Coincidentally, I like motorcycles too. When I was a teenager, I was obsessed with that cool car..." The conversation unfolded, and the two chatted for nearly two hours from motorcycle models and performances to racers, competition events, etc. Shao Hua gradually opened his heart and revealed that he lost his mother at a young age. After his father got married again, he became a child without anyone to take care of and gradually joined some "small groups" in society.
motorcycle is the standard for members of "small groups". Shao Hua has no money, and the only way he can think of is stealing.
After his mother passed away, Shao Hua's closest person was his aunt. Every time he was arrested and interrogated, his aunt was present as the guardian. When he saw his aunt again, Shao Hua's words showed a childish side. He felt guilty and tears appeared in his eyes.
"Actually, I think it doesn't matter if I can't be a motorcycle, it's good for me to repair the motorcycle." Shao Hua said this at the end of the interrogation.
Li Yang recalled that he saw hope in Shao Hua's words, and he saw the changes in the central state of the child's interrogation. "He realized that he had to have his own way of making a living and knew how to plan for his future. This is what we want to inspire the most."
Li Yang himself. Photo by Li Kaixiang, reporter of Beijing News
Give the understanding and respect that the wronged teenager should have.
In more than a year, there have been more than 300 minor crimes involving Li Yang.
Compared with Li Yang's specialty in interrogation of gangs and evil cases, the interrogation of minor cases is not difficult.According to the trial practice, as long as the person involved is clear about the facts of the crime and makes detention or other decisions in accordance with the law, the family members will be allowed to apply for bail. The case review work can generally be concluded.
But Li Yang believes that the key to minor cases is the extension of the legal system, and we must further understand their growth environment, family relationships, help and reform after bail, etc. "Since the public security department has set up a special person to handle minor cases, it means they are special and cannot be generalized."
In 2019, after Shao Hua was released on bail, Li Yang found him again and participated in the assistance and education transformation activities organized by Beijing Chaoyue Youth Social Work Firm, hoping to improve his biased cognition and behavioral habits under the leadership of social workers.
Li Yang also prepared a motorcycle model and gave it to Shao Hua and told him: "You can be obsessed with your ideals, but you must also be purely in the present. Do something that will make you support this ideal. You must be clear about where you are."
In fact, when you first came into contact with minor cases, Li Yang was also a little confused about the handling. In addition to reading books such as "Judge's Mother" and "Minor Psychology" and other books, he also asked professionals for advice, such as "Judge's Mother" who has more than 30 years of experience in interrogating minor cases, and social workers who provide assistance to minors in public security, procuratorial and judicial cases.
In future work, Li Yang, a young man like Shao Hua, has come into contact with many people. When facing interrogation, they are always full of vigilance, but Li Yang believes that the first thing he needs to do is to give the other party understanding and recognition. "At the age of sixteen or seventeen, isn't anyone convinced? If you blindly scold me and suppress me, the stronger my confrontation will be."
Even if a teenager is guilty, he must give the other party enough respect. Li Yang felt that in such cases, most minors find it difficult to get love and respect at home, so they have to make friends with their peers in society to get satisfaction. In a theft case that was interrogated, a teenager who stole cigarettes told Li Yang that he repeatedly stole it to his "brothers", which made him look face-saving.
When their three views are not mature and their minds are not sound, they give enough face these teenagers should have. "Only they have confidence can they resist the temptation of bad information from the outside world, and they don't have to rely on stealing and fighting to get satisfaction." Li Yang said.
"Can I call you dad?"
Li Yang often contacts minor victims at work.
In April this year, the police station in the jurisdiction transferred a case of abandonment. An old man in his 60s reported that her son was suspected of abandoning his grandson. Now she wants to fight for custody of her grandson and help her child obtain status and enroll in school normally.
The old man's grandson is named Dongsheng. He is only 7 years old this year. Because his parents divorced, he lived with his grandmother since childhood. After his father went to work in another place, he no longer contacted his family. At the age of 6, Dongsheng was unable to get admission because he did not have a legal identity certificate and his guardian (father) was not around. His grandmother went to the Education Commission, the court and other departments, but the problem was still not solved, so he had to call the police.
When Li Yang first met Dongsheng, he was impressed by him, "He has a calmness and sensibility that his peers do not have. He supports his grandmother when getting on and off the car and walking the steps."
In order to get familiar with Dongsheng, Li Yang gave him the signature pen he carried with him. After gradually entering the world of Dongsheng, Li Yang was surprised and distressed. His child was not accompanied by his parents in his childhood, and his grandmother was unable to take him to the zoo or playground to participate in various activities with limited energy.
, a pen he gave out casually, was placed in the highest position of the toy treasure box by Dongsheng. The "treasure box" is the most important object for children, including cars, plastic "gems", toys for people who are plugged into pieces, etc. "Because he has not had the care of his parents since he was a child, he rarely has toys, and he just keeps something as a treasure."
Dongsheng's schooling problem is the first case in both the public security department and the education department. He has no previous experience and has never handled similar cases. After engaging in various departments dozens of times, the child finally successfully entered school in September this year.
In this process, Dongsheng trusted and dependent on this police uncle who broke into his life. He asked Li Yang tentatively, "Can I call you dad?"
Since then, Li Yang takes time to see Dongsheng two or three times a week, and simply takes him to his home on weekends to take care of his 2-year-old daughter. In Li Yang's opinion, he did not do anything special, "it was just to put an extra pair of chopsticks and get an extra bowl."
html In September, on the first day of Dongsheng's school entrance examination, Li Yang was unable to leave because of difficulty in work. After school, Li Yang appeared at the school gate in a police uniform on time. He hoped that this was a new beginning in Dongsheng's life. He could also show off to his classmates, "I have a father, he is a policeman."helped minors involved in the case "find light"
At the beginning of his work, Li Yang often asked experienced judicial social workers for questions. Beijing Chaoyue Youth Social Work Firm also often provides assistance and education services, victim assistance services, etc. to Li Yang's work partner. Li Han, deputy director of
firm, mentioned that in Li Yang, he saw the changes and progress of judicial organs in treating minor cases and noticed the particularity of such cases. "Li Yang has rich experience in interrogation, but he has been learning humbly."
has an internationally recognized concept of judicial protection of minors - "The faster the better."
"Minor and his parents are killed, criminally detained, or illegally admonished, all are sudden crisis events." Li Han believes that the public security organs are undoubtedly responsible for the first check-up task. Therefore, only by systematically learning professional knowledge and starting from the perspective of minor protection and going to the police officers who specialize in the project can the advanced juvenile judicial concept be truly implemented.
Nowadays, Dongsheng will send Li Yang a few voice messages with his grandmother's phone every day: "I have a cold, I took medicine today" "I made a new friend at school today"······ Sometimes he will still ask Li Yang carefully, "Are I calling you dad or big?"
"Of course it's dad" Li Yang replied to him.
As the father and son’s relationship became more and more intimate, judicial social worker Wang Xuhui began to worry. Li Yang satisfied Dongsheng's desire for fatherly love, but one day he had to face reality. In his opinion, no matter what form of assistance, Dongsheng is a crutch handed over in times of crisis, and should be slowly taken back when he can be independent.
Li Yang has not considered this issue. He wanted to wait until Dongsheng graduated from elementary school to have a long talk with him so that he can have a preliminary understanding of his future and make a choice for his future. As for now, since we have feelings for each other, Dongsheng needs a father who cares about him and loves his children, "It's good to be his godfather."
"Heart is like flowers and trees, and they are all born towards the sun." Li Yang believes, "These children are very powerful, but we need not to abandon them when necessary and help them find light."
(Shao Hua and Dongsheng are both pseudonyms in the article)
Beijing News reporter Zhang Jingshu
Edit Zuo Yanyan
Proofreading Li Shihui
