The aim is to raise the standard of court procedures and prevent corruption
Top judicial authorities have issued a set of guidelines to govern the revised jury system in an attempt to raise sentencing standards and root out corruption in the mainland's courts.
The Supreme People's Court and the Ministry of Justice issued the standards to support legislative reforms to the decades-old 'people's assessor' system announced in August.
The assessors act similar to juries in some western courts - they review evidence, hear testimony and listen to counsels' arguments - and were introduced in the 1950s to give the public a voice in the process.
Appointments of assessors, their training and performance evaluations will be handled by the courts and their parallel government legal administration departments.
Members of the public can either nominate themselves or be recommended for the job by their work unit. They must be at least 23 and have a minimum two years of college education.