After strengthening humanitarian efforts and adopting new high-tech
equipment, the management of Chinese jails has seen remarkable
progress.
"The current incidences of both escape and recidivism among
prisoners in China have dropped to a record low since the nation's
foundation in 1949," Du Zhongxing, chief official in charge of
prison affairs from the Ministry of Justice, said recently.
In
the First Women's Prison of south China's
Yunnan Province, there are seven wards, each of which has been
equipped with a TV room and a reading room. Prisoners can take
books back to their cells.
To
spice up prisoners' captive life, the prison authorities organized
an art troupe, composed of prisoners who give shows regularly for
their fellow inmates.
According to Warden Nie Wen, although the annual per capita
allowance for prisoners is less than the 2,400 yuan(US$290)
received by prisoners in east China, they are well fed, with eggs,
meat and vegetables served in dining halls every day.
A
prison breakfast menu for the second week of July featured Chinese
rice pudding, rice-flour noodles mixed with fried salted jam,
sliced noodles and steamed bread.
"We used to make sure that prisoners in China had enough to eat --
now we make sure their diets are nutritious," said Jin Yongsheng,
head of the life and sanitation department of the Fifth Prison in
east China's Zhejiang Province.
Prisoners' everyday intake of calories, protein and fat are
determined thanks to the Life and Health Management Software, which
was jointly developed by the prison and Zhejiang
University.
According to Jin, this prison also tracks prisoners' health through
computer systems.
A
medical report for each prisoner is filed monthly, so that
illnesses are closely monitored. "Should any individual situation
become serious, we will contact hospitals outside and provide
timely treatment," Jin said.
Psychological counseling services have also been launched in quite
a number of prisons in China. Professional help is available for
anger management, Jin said.
To
provide more opportunities for exchange with family and friends,
telephone "love hotlines" have been put to use in prisons
throughout the nation.
Since June of 1999, prisoners in Beijing alone have made a total of
more than 300,000 long-distance calls, according to Zhu Jianhua,
director-general of the Beijing Bureau of Prisons.
"Greetings and exchange transmitted through the telephone lines
have in many cases saved marriages on the brink of collapse," Zhu
said.
This July, east China's Baoshan Prison offered the nation’s first
batch of videophones for prisoners, which allow face-to-face time
with family members and friends at a distance.
To
help prisoners survive the fierce competition they are likely to
face after release, prisons in China actively cooperate with local
bureaus of both education and labor to train inmates with practical
technical skills.
"Some of them learn to read, and others acquire technical skills.
Once they are released, they can send their job applications
directly to their local employment centers," said Wang Zhengming,
head of the administration of prison affairs in Shanghai Bureau of
Prisons.
"The conditions for Chinese prisoners have witnessed a gigantic
improvement in diet, medical treatment, technical training and
exchange with the outside world. That explains why prisoners in
China can rebuild their confidence and serve out their prison terms
with ease," said Du Zhongxing of the Ministry of Justice.
(Xinhua News
Agency 08/27/2001)