Editor's note
No sane person wants to find themselves confined behind bars, stripped of their personal freedom and away from their loved-ones, but offenders must pay a price for their crime handed down from the courts. Though some problems exist in China's prisons, new measures are being introduced to improve management and make life locked up as humane as possible. Here, we highlight the new measures being introduced to treat prisoners humanely, decently and lawfully and help them lead law-abiding and useful lives in custody and after release.  
Hot topics: female prison    vote   organ donations
judicial reform   HIV/AIDS   death penalty   mental health

White paper on judicial reform
The Chinese government issued a white paper on judicial reform, highlighting the progress in safeguarding justice and protecting human rights.

 "China's judicial reforms are aimed at strengthening judicial organs' capability to maintain social justice by optimizing the structure of the judicial organs and the allocation of their functions and power, standardizing judicial acts, improving judicial proceedings and enhancing judicial democracy and legal supervision."  >>  Full Text
Law: A new law to further safeguard the rights of suspects will see an enhanced role for defense lawyers. >>

AIDS control for detainees

Some 70,000 people have tested positive for HIV while in detention in China, a top AIDS specialist has revealed.

Around 30,000 were detected at compulsory drug rehabilitation centers, with the rest being discovered at detention centers and prisons. >>

China lifts ban on inmate homosexuality >>
AIDS inmates get special attention >>

Organ donations to end reliance on prisoners

China's reliance on organ transplants from condemned prisoners will end within two years, as a human organ donation trial project has proven successful, a senior health official said on Wednesday.

From March 2010 to the end of September 2012, the trial involved 465 donation cases, which resulted in 1,279 organs being donated by members of the public, said Huang Jiefu, vice-minister of health. >>

Beijing female prison eradicates illiteracy

The capital's main female prison has eradicated illiteracy among inmates within five years.

More than 270 female prisoners who could not read or write have been educated at Beijing Women's Prison.

Simple Chinese, math and English lessons are taught among people with only primary or middle school education, said Li Ruihua, head of the prison.  >>

Tougher supervision of death sentences

The country's top prosecuting department has set up a new internal branch to supervise the reviews of death sentences that have been submitted to the top court for approval, according to the Supreme People's Procuratorate on Wednesday.

Before sentencing a person to death, a court must gain approval from the SPP, which reviews each case to ensure there are no mistakes. >>

Chinese courts give fewer long jail sentences >>

Inmates are required to work in China's prisons and get paid as the country is striving to build a just, clean, civilized and efficient prison system, a white paper said .

Every week, inmates work for five days, receive classroom education for one day and rest for one .

It said China is realizing its reform objective of "full-sum guarantee, separation of administrative and business functions, separation of revenues and expenditures, and standardized operation" of prisons. >>

China to spend $7.2b upgrading detention houses

China plans to spend 46.3 billion yuan ($7.2 billion) upgrading police-run detention houses in the coming five years, an official with the Ministry of Public Security said.

The money will be used to improve conditions of dentention houses, protect basic human rights of detainees, basically solve the problem overcrowdiness of detention houses and build more rooms for lawyers to meet detainees, said Zhao Chunguang, director of the ministry's prison administration bureau. >>

Prisoners' rights protected by IT

Citing an intranet system launched in Beijing prisons that allows inmates to shop online and order meals when their relatives visit them, Feng said IT-based management has "further upheld prisoners' legal rights." >>

A sense of the ordinary from behind bars
Zhang Liying's finger traced the list of products on the screen in front of her ― snacks, orange juice, makeup, toothpaste, shampoo, soap."Just three steps and I can find whatever I want to buy," she said.>>

Prisons focus on convicts' mental health
Increasing numbers of prison officers have been receiving psychological training with the aim of providing professional help to convicts, according to Beijing's prison administration.>>

Internet enhances Shanghai prison's management
Eight years on, the aishengwang, a local area network (LAN) established by the Shanghai Qingpu Prison for better management, still plays a pivotal role.>>

A county prison in North China's Shanxi province has made a series of innovations to help inmates with difficulties cope in prison, according to sxrb.com.

Quwo prison set up a mutual help system among inmates so that prisoners from a better educational background can have a positive influence on fellow convicts and a harmonious relationship can be established .>>

Inmates' rights program to get a boost

Prosecution and public security authorities in Wuhu, the second-largest city in East China's Anhui province, established a mechanism in March 2011 for inmates at the city's detention center to file complaints about their conditions at the center to authorities.

The move came after scandals involving detention centers in recent years triggered public outrage. >> 

Fujian works to protect prisoners' rights

East China's Fujian province has rolled out innovative measures to better protect medical and family bonding rights of inmates, according to fjsen.com.

Prisons are covered by the social medical and health care system in the province since 2010. The number of medical workers at prisons has doubled, and social medical institutions started setting up infirmaries in detention houses in December 2011.>>

Ningxia prisons lead in management innovation

When it comes to prison management innovation, the Ningxia Prison Administrative Bureau in Ningxia Hui autonomous region just never runs out of juicy ideas.

The prison authorities mapped out a "500 Program" in February in a bid to help those ex-convicts better reintegrate into society after serving years behind bars.The results have been fruitful.>>

Life in Jail 

Family bonding in prison

Mid-Autumn reunion in prison

Light moments of life in prison

Prison, a special place of learning

Mother's Day in prison

Inmates take new ways to get relieved