BEIJING -- A draft law on community correction was submitted to the top legislature Tuesday for the first review, at the ongoing bimonthly session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.

The draft law stipulates the applicable subjects, management and working mechanism, procedures, supervision, as well as the education and support measures of community correction.

Community correction is important to improve the country's execution of criminal punishments and modernize China's system and capacity for governance, said Justice Minister Fu Zhenghua when briefing lawmakers on the draft law.

The community correction started pilot programs in 2003 and initiated trial implementation nationwide in 2009, according to Fu.

The execution cost of community correction per person only account for 10 percent of the prison, and only 0.2 percent of people returned to crimes during their stay in community correction program, Fu said.

The legislative session will run from Tuesday to Saturday.