Justice in China is Local

This article from the The New York Times about a report by a United Nations investigator on the subject of torture shows that justice in China is still in the feudal age in many parts of the country.  People are being made to “confess” their crimes in order to obtain a conviction.  Changes in the laws on this subject are slow to filter down from the central government to the provinces and villages.  It’s this glacial pace that allows local government officials to do whatever they like and not have to worry about being brought to justice, themselves.  Many are stealing land and punishing their enemies by taking advantage of the lack of supervision by the national government.