Case of Jing et al. Intentionally Releasing Offenders and Failing to Punish

During the Qin Dynasty, a rebellion broke out in Cangwu County within Nan Commandery. Local officials, including a prefectural clerk named You Jing (also transcribed as You Jing), knew of the rebels but deliberately failed to arrest or report them. The imperial censor issued a directive ordering a review. Judicial officers Ge Lu, Zhi Tian, and the acting clerk Jian re-examined the case and concluded that Jing and his colleagues had intentionally released rebels. The case was submitted for higher adjudication, and the central court confirmed that such knowing tolerance of rebellion constituted "intentionally releasing rebels." The officials were sentenced to public execution (qishi), reflecting the strict obligation of officials to suppress sedition.

Jing and the other implicated officials were condemned to public execution (qishi).

Whether the officials' failure to arrest and denounce rebels qualified as "intentionally releasing rebels" and warranted the death penalty under Qin law.

The case reinforced the severe accountability of officials for failing to act against major crimes such as rebellion. It became a precedent for the Han Dynasty doctrine of "knowing of a crime but intentionally not prosecuting" (jianzhi guzong), shaping the strict supervisory duties of magistrates and contributing to the harsh official liability system in early imperial China.