Chapter 156 (Final Chapter): Ying Xuanji: Preventing Crime is Everyone's Responsibility
In 1995, in the criminal psychology teaching and research room of Huaxia Public Security University, sunlight streamed through the tall windows, casting long, slanted shadows on the polished terrazzo floor. 45-year-old Ying Xuanji sat in the center of five professors, her gaze scrutinizing the young policewoman from Yan City before her.
Jiang Ling stood tall and straight, her eyes clear and resolute. When asked why she chose to study criminal psychology, her answer struck Ying Xuanji like a chord: "No one is born a criminal. Behind every case lies a story of blood and tears. Combating crime is important, but preventing crime is even more urgent."
Ying Xuanji saw a familiar flame in her eyes.
The ideals of this 22-year-old policewoman are so similar to mine!
Ying Xuanji did a lot to realize this ideal, but she always felt powerless. Because preventing crime is too difficult, too difficult.
Ying Xuanji's voice trembled slightly: "Jiang Ling, do you know? What you're talking about not only requires interdisciplinary research and massive data support, but also institutional reform!"
Jiang Ling nodded emphatically: "I know! It's like the Foolish Old Man Who Moved Mountains, it's very difficult. But if our generation of police officers and researchers don't think about it and don't do it, there will never be any change!"
Looking at Jiang Ling, Ying Xuanji seemed to see her former self. A deep, warm feeling of admiration flowed in her eyes, and a smile appeared on her lips: "The Foolish Old Man Who Moved Mountains? Well said!"
At that moment, she felt as if she were seeing herself twenty years ago.
That young scholar who also harbored ideals, yet struggled to make his way through the desert of criminal psychology in China.
Ying Xuanji was born in 1950, the second year after the founding of the People's Republic of China. Her father was an intellectual who had experienced the war and later taught at a middle school; her mother was a cadre in the neighborhood office. During her childhood, the old books such as "Fundamentals of Sociology" and "Educational Psychology" on the bookshelves in her family's study were her earliest intellectual enlightenment.
In the summer of 1960, ten-year-old Ying Xuanji witnessed a scene that would change her life.
The neighbor's teenager was taken away by the police for repeated thefts.
The neighbor had several fruit trees, and the boy often brought fruit to Xuanji. He once patted his chest and told Xuanji that he wanted to be an agricultural scientist in the future, growing apples that tasted like bananas and grapes that smelled like osmanthus...
But later, his father became addicted to gambling. He had his leg broken because of debts and drank heavily at home every day. His mother was a weak woman who only knew how to cry and endure when things went wrong. Growing up in such a family, the boy gradually developed a rebellious heart and started stealing with some thugs.
The day the police took her away, the boy's mother collapsed to the ground, her cries piercing the rain: "It's my fault! It's my fault for not teaching him well... But this is my first time being a mother, who can teach me how to be a mother?"
This scene was deeply etched in her young heart.
In 1968, 18-year-old Ying Xuanji was sent to the countryside as part of the "educated youth" movement. In a rural area of northern Shaanxi, she became a substitute teacher at a village primary school. Many children there were left-behind children, lacking proper guidance. She witnessed a bright young boy, without any direction, gradually escalate from stealing sweet potatoes from the fields to stealing supplies from the production team, ultimately being sent to a labor camp. The boy's grandmother held her hand, tears streaming down her face: "Teacher Ying, the child was such a promising young man, how could he have gone astray..."
This question made her start to think about the root causes of juvenile delinquency.
In 1973, based on her outstanding performance, she was recommended to study in the Department of Education at Kyoto Normal College. In the university library, she was first systematically exposed to works on criminology and psychology.
When she was assigned a job after graduation in 1977, many government agencies offered her positions, but she made a decision that surprised everyone—she applied to join the newly re-established Huaxia School of Political and Legal Cadres, later known as Huaxia Public Security University, as a teaching assistant in the Department of Criminology.
Faced with everyone's confusion, Ying Xuanji replied, "I want to study why people commit crimes, and more importantly, how to prevent them from committing crimes."
The first ten years were a period of pioneering and hardship. Resources were scarce, the system was in its infancy, and criminal psychology was regarded within the public security system as "theoretical knowledge" that was difficult to apply in practice.
The head of the teaching and research office told her, "Xiao Ying, criminal psychology is a cold field; it may take ten years to produce results." But she still firmly believed in the significance of this research.
Throughout the 1980s, she was like an academic ascetic. She took every opportunity to participate in front-line research, traveling to public security units and juvenile detention centers across the country, accumulating thousands of case analysis notes.
During the summer vacation of 1982, she met a boy named Zheng Xiaoming in a juvenile detention center, a boy she would never forget. Zheng Xiaoming was sentenced to re-education through labor for multiple robberies, but during their conversation, Ying Xuanji discovered that the boy was not inherently bad; he had simply gone astray due to his parents' divorce and lack of care.
Zheng Xiaoming lowered his head and said, "Sister, do you know? The first time I stole something was because I couldn't afford a notebook, and I got scolded by the teacher. Later, I found that stealing not only got me what I wanted, but also made my parents notice me."
Ying Xuanji began to realize that behind many juvenile crimes lay a longing for care and recognition. In 1985, she published her foundational paper, "A Study on the Psychological Causes and Early Intervention of Juvenile Delinquency," which for the first time systematically proposed the concept of a three-tiered prevention model of "family-school-community."
This paper caused controversy at the time. At a national public security work conference, an experienced veteran criminal police officer bluntly said: "Professor Ying, your theory sounds very good, but what we need on the front line is a knife that can catch people quickly, not a needle for embroidery."
She did not argue when faced with the questions.
The turning point came in 1989. A series of extortion cases targeting primary and secondary school students occurred in a city in East China, remaining unsolved for a long time. Ying Xuanji, through analysis of the modus operandi, target selection, and timing patterns, characterized the suspect as someone between 25 and 30 years old, with a failed teaching career, and possibly harboring a vengeful mentality due to being dismissed. Based on this, the police adjusted their investigative direction and quickly arrested a 28-year-old former substitute teacher.
After the case was solved, the veteran detective who had initially questioned her called her specifically: "Professor Ying, your 'needlework' has truly come to fruition this time!"
Ying Xuanji worked even harder to delve deeper into practice.
In 1990, she volunteered to work at a local police station for a year. During that year, she participated in routine police work during the day and continued to study cases at night. She discovered that many grassroots police officers lacked professional psychological knowledge when handling juvenile cases and often resorted to simplistic and brutal methods.
In 1992, she edited "The Application of Criminal Psychology in Police Work," which was the first psychology textbook in China geared towards practical police work. The book not only introduced criminal psychology theories but also provided numerous real-world cases and handling suggestions.
The book quickly spread throughout the national public security system, and Ying Xuanji began to be recognized and appreciated by more people.
In 1993, a series of arson cases in Hebei Province reached a stalemate. Local police, after months of fruitless investigation, invited Ying Xuanji to assist in solving the case. Through analysis of the locations, times, and methods of the arson, she profiled the suspect's psychological characteristics: aged 16-18, experiencing severe family violence, and possibly harboring a vengeful mentality due to academic setbacks. Based on her analysis, the police narrowed their search and ultimately arrested a 17-year-old vocational high school student.
After the case was solved, the local criminal police captain held her hand and said, "Professor Ying, your psychological profiling saved us a lot of police resources!" This success made Ying Xuanji even more convinced that criminal psychology can not only play a role in solving cases, but more importantly, it can help prevent crime.
In 1995, she published her monograph "Criminal Psychology and Early Intervention," which systematically proposed a three-tiered prevention system of "family-school-community." In the book, she wrote: "Punishing crime is like putting out a fire, while preventing crime is the way to eradicate the fire. But where is the fire? It is in the family, in the school, and in the deep folds of society."
In the spring of the same year the monograph was published, Ying Xuanji met Jiang Ling during her postgraduate entrance examination.
When Ying Xuanji heard the young policewoman say, "I want to start by building an early psychological and behavioral identification and graded intervention model for high-risk adolescents," she seemed to see her younger self.
Ying Xuanji was very happy to have taken on this student, and she believed that Jiang Ling could translate theory into practice.
Over the next three years, Ying Xuanji imparted all her knowledge to Jiang Ling. She not only taught her professional knowledge but also focused on cultivating Jiang Ling's systematic thinking and practical abilities. She often took Jiang Ling to participate in the analysis of actual cases, allowing her to understand how theory could be applied to practice; the Qingyuan City White Pagoda Park case in 1996 was a good example.
When the Qingyuan City Public Security Bureau invited Ying Xuanji to assist in solving the case, she specially brought Jiang Ling along.
During the on-site analysis, Jiang Ling astutely noticed the childish graffiti and the low spray paint height, suggesting that the perpetrator might be a teenager. This assessment coincided with Ying Xuanji's thoughts, and subsequent investigations confirmed their speculation.
However, Ying Xuanji values the preventative value behind the case even more. After solving the case, she guided Jiang Ling to conduct in-depth psychological assessments and family environment analyses of the five involved teenagers, completing a detailed "Individual Crime Risk Assessment Report." This report not only analyzed the reasons for each person's crime but also proposed specific intervention suggestions.
"Teacher, why do we have to spend so much time doing this?" Jiang Ling once asked this question.
Ying Xuanji replied, "Because solving cases can only address past problems, while prevention is the only way to avoid future tragedies. Solving cases is a temporary solution, while preventing crime is the fundamental solution. What we are doing now is accumulating experience and data for crime prevention."
In 1998, Jiang Ling graduated with a master's degree and decided to return to Yanshi to work. Many people felt it was a pity—with Jiang Ling's education and abilities, she could have easily stayed in a university or research institution in Beijing.
However, Ying Xuanji understood and supported the student's decision.
Before parting, Ying Xuanji gave Jiang Ling blessings, expectations, and encouragement: "Crime prevention needs to start from the grassroots level. Although Yan City is small, that's precisely why it's easier to carry out pilot projects. The achievements you make there will be more convincing than writing a thesis in Beijing. Truth needs to be tested in practice. Go ahead, I'll be your support."
As it turned out, Ying Xuanji's judgment was correct.
Upon returning to Yan City, Jiang Ling began setting up a data center at the Municipal Public Security Bureau, attempting to integrate information such as household registration, school records, and community records to establish a crime risk early warning model. Although Ying Xuanji was far away in Beijing, she consistently followed the students' progress, frequently providing guidance via phone and letters.
In 2000, when the Hunan Provincial Public Security Department was preparing to establish the "Crime Prevention and Analysis Center", Ying Xuanji recommended Jiang Ling without hesitation.
At the expert review meeting, some questioned Jiang Ling's youth and lack of experience at the provincial level. Ying Xuanji argued forcefully: "Comrade Jiang Ling has a solid theoretical foundation, rich grassroots experience, and successful practical cases. The crime early warning model she established in Yanshi has already reduced the local juvenile crime rate by 18%. These data are the best proof."
Ultimately, Jiang Ling was appointed as the head of the center's preparatory group. Ying Xuanji personally drafted the center's construction plan for her, emphasizing the construction concept of "data-driven and multi-party collaboration," stressing the establishment of a unified provincial crime risk database to integrate information from multiple departments; the development of scientific risk assessment tools to achieve early warning; and the establishment of an intervention mechanism linking families, schools, communities, and public security; providing data support and decision-making references for policy formulation.
In the following years, the mentor and mentee worked together, one exploring pilot projects at the grassroots level and the other advocating for their work in academia. In 2003, their collaborative paper, "Construction of a Crime Risk Early Warning Model Based on Data Mining—Taking Yanshi as an Example," won the Ministry of Public Security's Science and Technology Progress Award.
Ying Xuanji and Jiang Ling worked together to refine the pilot experience in Yan City into a scalable model. This model was later known as the "Hunan Provincial Experience" and became a blueprint for the construction of the national crime prevention system.
With the establishment of the Crime Prevention Analysis Center, Ying Xuanji's crime prevention philosophy began to move from academic research to institutional practice. But she knew this was just the beginning. The real challenge lay in how to keep the system running smoothly and continuously expand its impact.
Together with Jiang Ling, she designed a three-tiered early warning mechanism for juvenile delinquency for the Crime Prevention and Analysis Center:
The first level is universal prevention, which involves providing legal education and mental health services to all teenagers.
The second level is targeted intervention, providing personalized assistance to adolescents with risk factors;
The third level is special correction, which involves professional correction for adolescents who have already exhibited deviant behavior.
At the same time, she also promoted the establishment of a multi-departmental collaboration mechanism. The public security organs provided data support, the education department was responsible for intervention at the school level, the civil affairs department assisted family support, and community organizations participated in daily care. This cross-departmental collaboration model was innovative at the time, but it also faced many challenges.
The biggest challenge comes from a change in mindset.
Many grassroots police officers are still accustomed to the mindset of "arresting people to solve cases" and do not pay enough attention to prevention. In order to solve this problem, Ying Xuanji, a professor at the Public Security University, personally designed training courses and went to public security organs in various places to publicize crime prevention concepts and methods.
She often said, "Catching a criminal only solves one problem; but preventing a crime can save a person or a family. From a cost-benefit perspective, prevention is far more valuable than punishment."
Gradually, more and more people began to accept this idea.
Some veteran detectives who had previously questioned her approach changed their minds after witnessing the effectiveness of her preventative work firsthand. One municipal public security bureau chief remarked, "I used to think prevention was a minor task, but now I realize it's the fundamental solution. Professor Ying, thank you so much."
In 2010, Ying Xuanji reached retirement age.
To her delight, the concept of crime prevention has taken root in the public security system. Her students are spread all over the country, and many have become key figures in the field of crime prevention.
What she is most proud of is Jiang Ling.
From the Yanshi Public Security Bureau to the Provincial Public Security Department, from the psychological profiling team to the Crime Prevention and Analysis Center, Jiang Ling has gradually turned her teacher's ideals into reality. Today, "prevention is better than punishment" has become a consensus within the public security system, and crime prevention work has been incorporated into the performance evaluation indicators of public security organs at all levels.
On the eve of her retirement, Jiang Ling made a special trip to Beijing to visit her teacher. The two strolled along the tree-lined paths of the Public Security University, reminiscing about the years they had spent together.
"Teacher, do you still remember what I said during the interview back then?" Jiang Ling asked.
“Of course I remember,” Ying Xuanji said with a smile. “You said you wanted to move the mountain of crime prevention.”
Jiang Ling smiled, her eyes still bright: "Now I feel that although this mountain has not been completely moved yet, at least we have moved a part of it."
Ying Xuanji nodded: "Yes, most importantly, more and more people are joining the ranks of those moving mountains, which is the most gratifying thing."
At her retirement ceremony, Ying Xuanji presented Jiang Ling with a yellowed notebook. On the title page was a motto she had written in her youth: "Though moving mountains may seem foolish, the ambition is for a thousand autumns."
She solemnly said to Jiang Ling, "Now it's your turn to carry this banner."
Even after retiring, Ying Xuanji did not stop working. She continued to serve as an advisor to the Ministry of Public Security, guiding crime prevention projects across the country. She also founded a crime prevention research association, regularly organizing academic exchanges and training activities.
Autumn, 2025.
One day, Ying Xuanji was watching the news at home.
The report stated that a pilot program for a "psychological crisis intervention center for minors" in a certain area has achieved remarkable results, with the juvenile crime rate declining for three consecutive years.
On camera, a teenager who had dropped out of school due to domestic violence is now a social worker. He said, "Someone pulled me up when I was about to fall, and I realized that there is another way to live life."
After reading the news, 75-year-old Ying Xuanji was deeply moved. She went to her desk, spread out some stationery, and wrote a letter to Jiang Ling, who had become the director of a provincial public security bureau:
"Xiao Jiang, today I saw another teenager being caught. What we seek in our lives is nothing more than more 'catching' incidents. The road to crime prevention is indeed long, but every dead end can gradually become a thoroughfare through the efforts of millions of people. Never forget: if a mountain is moved one foot, the danger will be reduced by ten feet; if people do their part, the safety will increase tenfold."
The final signature consisted of only three words: "The Mountain Mover".
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I've finally finished writing this book.
The idea of crime prevention began to sprout when I was writing "The Mind Detective." At that time, I was thinking, even though the case was solved, why did my heart still ache so much? The dead cannot come back to life, and the shadow of the tragedy they caused will always remain. If only I could go back in time and stop the crime from happening.
So, I wrote this book, "The Criminal Records Administrator is Reborn." If you think it's good, please give it a rating.
My next book, "Before the Murder, I Transmigrated into a Book," focuses on female crime and explores its root causes. What true empathy is there in this world? It's all just empty talk. The protagonist in my story was once a detached observer, following textbook knowledge and doing what she believed to be absolutely right. But when she became involved in the crime, experiencing the pain, helplessness, and despair of women in dire situations, she truly understood the complexity of human nature, truly achieved equal respect for everyone, and became a genuine and effective negotiator.
If you like it, please bookmark it in advance. The article is expected to be published in November.
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