A new prison covering 40 hectares and accommodating 1,000
inmates in Beijing's eastern suburbs is being used to trial reforms
to China's penal system.
"Yancheng Prison, erected in October last year, has 300 inmates
already and is the first prison under the direct control of the
Ministry of Justice," said Zhang Jinsang, prison head and deputy
director of the ministry's Prison Management Bureau.
There are over 700 prisons in China. Except for Yancheng Prison,
all are administered by provincial or municipal governments.
The new jail, also called the Central Prison, will house
convicted government officials and foreigners, and conduct research
into the protection of inmates' legal rights, Zhang said.
"With good medical facilities and living conditions, the Central
Prison will serve as a trial base for new administrative measures
to be introduced to other prisons," he said.
"Educational schemes, psychotherapy and community correctional
methods will also be introduced to rehabilitate prisoners," he
said.
Zhang made the remarks in China's eastern city of Nanjing during
a recent seminar on protecting the legal rights of prisoners. The
seminar was attended by more than 50 law experts and officials from
jails and judicial administrations across the country.
Authorities will also consider separating prisons from
subsidiary enterprises.
Since the foundation of the People's Republic of China, prison
enterprises, also called "reform-through-labor camps," have served
as correctional centers for prisoners. The centers make money from
the inmates' labor to help improve their living conditions, said
Wang Mingdi, vice president of the China Penology Society.
"The integration of prisons and enterprises has resulted in
shortcomings in recent years," he said.
Wang said the reforms strengthen the corrective role of prisons
and their protection of inmates' legal rights.
Legal experts at the seminar said China had always taken good
care of prisoners.
Of the 78 articles of the Prison Law, 33 safeguard
prisoners' rights, they said. In 2002, for every 1,000 inmates
across the country, there were 5.08 doctors and 15.68 hospital
beds, much higher than the average level for the rest of the
population.
Moreover, hundreds of thousands of criminals in the past decade
have benefited from educational programs, experts said.
However, they also pointed out that some prison wardens still
need more respect for inmates' human rights, and arbitrary
interpretations of the law have to be eliminated.
Jurists and officials proposed existing rewards for good
behavior be enshrined in law, international best practice be
adopted in Chinese jails and all prison wardens understand
prisoners' legal rights.
(Xinhua News Agency September 13, 2003)