Cai Yaqi Criminal Law | The children of fallen officials are a very special group, let me talk about it

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I. Career Choice and “Stability” within the System

As a lawyer myself, I absolutely do not want my children to become lawyers in the future, because I know how hard it is. I think doctors also don’t want their children to become doctors; police officers and journalists also don’t want their children to engage in the same profession as themselves.

But I have observed that those within the system, especially officials, would definitely not refuse or reject their children from entering the system in the future, or even becoming officials. No official would say: “I hope my children will go into business in the future, I hope my children will become lawyers.” They often just pave the way for you if you are not too bad, if you do not disrespect their wishes too much, and you can take over, continue to work within the system – even if it’s not a high position or generous salary, but it’s no problem for you to enter the system, because entering the system means stability.

II. The “Greenhouse Effect” and Cognitive Disconnect of Children of Officials Involved in Duty Crimes

I have represented many cases of duty crimes, and through them, I have come into contact with the families of those involved in duty crimes. Their children are all younger than me, born in the 90s, or even the 00s. These children, it can be said, have poor “resilience.” I know this sounds harsh, but to put it plainly, they have not experienced much hardship in society.

Their parents are from the 60s and 70s, beneficiaries of the entire reform and opening-up era, beneficiaries of the college entrance examination changing their destiny and education changing their life trajectory. Their parents may have suffered a lot, but their parents enjoyed the dividends of the era, and later became officials and entered the system, gaining many advantages, which we must admit. Then, in the process of gaining advantages and corruption, they would definitely not tell their children about how they corrupted or gained advantages. But their children indeed have superior material conditions among their peers, and have a sense of superiority internally, yet they truly do not know how these conditions came about.

So when their parents get into trouble, they suddenly face a reality: “So the judiciary is so corrupt, so society is so dark, so this is how they handle cases.” In fact, they don’t know that society has always been like this, the judicial system has always been like this, and ordinary people have always lived like this.

It’s like a child who has always sat in business class or first class. When the family runs out of money, they discover that there are still green-skin trains and economy class in the world. In fact, they don’t know that they have been sitting in first class all along, and economy class is just behind a curtain. Economy class has always existed, but they never realized its existence. Their parents would never tell them: “Those people are not as rich as us, we are sitting here.” Their parents would almost never say that.

III. Facing Judicial Reality: Respecting Adult Choices and Taking Responsibility

This leads to a situation I encounter in handling cases of duty crimes: the defendant themselves – the defendant in duty-related cases knows they are wrong, knows what their actions mean, because they have been in the system for so many years and know how the system operates. I can even say that they are not entirely surprised to face this day, and they are willing to plead guilty and accept punishment. But their children express that they cannot accept it, cannot accept it: “How could my parents, my brothers and sisters be guilty? How could they be criminals? How could they have taken so much money? They were definitely framed by the Disciplinary Inspection Commission, coerced by the Disciplinary Inspection Commission.”

As I’ve said before, one of the signs of maturity is respecting everyone’s choices. A person who is over 18 years old should know what their actions mean. A wife may not know what her husband is doing outside, but the wife should tell herself: “Whatever my husband is doing outside, he has to bear it himself.” My children are over 18 years old, whatever they do outside, they have to bear it themselves. Whatever my parents did, they should bear it themselves. While I may find it emotionally difficult to accept, the legal consequences should be borne by the individual concerned.

Conversely, we should respect everyone’s choices, a point I have made many times. This is what it means to be responsible. Letting others bear responsibility for their actions is also a manifestation of respecting others. Conversely, if others are willing to drink, willing to get drunk, willing to smoke, and you still oppose it, you are not respecting them. Because people who smoke and drink know what it means, don’t oppose them, it’s useless.

He corrupted, he committed a crime, and he bears the consequences. Hiring a lawyer for him is already doing your best for him; he has let you down because his crime has brought so many negative consequences to you. Hiring a lawyer for him is already doing your best for him. Do not impose your views on him, saying: “You cannot plead guilty and accept punishment, you are innocent, you were coerced.” – You really don’t understand him.

May I ask, children, do you really understand your parents? Parents, do you really understand your children? Do you really know what your husband has done? Do you really know what your wife has done outside?

IV. Reflections on Parenting: Breaking Out of the Greenhouse, Recognizing the “Shoddy Stage Show” Nature of the World

I think if life experiences are always smooth, always under a greenhouse, always in a favorable environment, then resilience is indeed poor. I have children, and I find that my two children are indeed less exposed to the realities of the lower strata than I was in my time; they have simply never seen it, and often say things that I find incredible.

So I also try to avoid them becoming the kind of people with “poor resilience” I just mentioned. I try my best not to let them enjoy such good conditions. For example, my children have never bought any branded clothes or shoes; they are bought for thirty or forty yuan on Taobao or Pinduoduo. I also often tell my children how difficult it is for me to earn money outside, how many people have cheated me, calculated against me, and spoken ill of me. I am never the type of person who only reports good news and not bad news to my children, silently bearing everything myself. Because I know, I must let my children know as soon as possible that society has darkness, has shadows, and that darkness and shadows are a normal state of society.

The “peaceful years” you speak of are nothing more than someone silently paying a price for you behind the scenes. This world is inherently a shoddy stage show. What you see might truly be deliberately shaped for you by those around you, but it is not the real picture. Therefore, I think if we can be exposed to the true face of this world from a young age, or as early as possible, it will be a subtle and gradual process in shaping our outlook on life, worldview, legal views, criminal law views, and views on crime. I think this is a good thing, a process that should be experienced.