Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, was known for his benevolent governance. During his reign, he implemented a special policy that allowed 390 death row inmates to return home to visit their families and agreed to return to prison the following autumn to continue serving their sentences. This event is known as the "Four Hundred Prisoners Returning to Prison Case", which reflects the kindness and trust of Emperor Taizong of Tang, and is recorded in the "New Book of Tang" and "Zizhi Tongjian", becoming a famous legal case in history.

Four hundred prisoners returning to prison case

Emperor Taizong personally reviewed the cases of executed prisoners in the sixth year of the Zhenguan reign and found that 390 prisoners had confessed and repented. He decided to release these prisoners and promised to return home the following autumn to carry out the execution. The following year, all the prisoners returned in good faith, and Emperor Taizong was moved to pardon them.

The ancient system of imprisoning prisoners

The ancient system of recording prisoners originated in the Han Dynasty, based on the idea of "cautious punishment", aimed at reviewing and recording prisoners in custody to ensure fair trials. The Tang Dynasty further developed, and the Ministry of Justice, Dali Temple, and local prefectural officials all had the power to record prisoners. Emperor Taizong and other emperors personally participated, which helped to correct wrongful cases, enhance the legal awareness of judicial officials, and had a positive impact on future judicial practices.

Modern Criminal Trial Supervision Procedure

Explored the importance of modern criminal trial supervision procedures and emphasized their role in ensuring the fairness of court judgments. The article cites relevant provisions of the Criminal Procedure Law of the People's Republic of China, clarifying the power of the Supreme People's Court and higher people's courts to correct judgments and rulings of lower courts, as well as the legal basis for the Supreme People's Procuratorate and higher people's procuratorates to file protests.

Regarding parole

Explored the legal basis and implementation conditions of the parole system, emphasizing that parole is a conditional early release for criminals who have performed well and have no risk of recidivism. At the same time, the legal impact of Emperor Taizong's "longitudinal imprisonment" incident was analyzed, and it was pointed out that his behavior violated the principles of the rule of law, damaged the stability of the law, and undermined the deterrent power of punishment. Modern society should enforce criminal penalties in accordance with the law to ensure the authority and fairness of the law.