Chinese and Western Prisons--Similarities and Differences, Part 2

• NCJ Number: 219114
• Journal: Corrections Compendium Volume: 32 Issue: 1 Dated: January/February 2007 Pages: 22-24
• Author(s): Gary Hill
• Date Published: January 2007
• Length: 3 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: See NCJ-217192 for Part I and NCJ-219178 for Part III of this series.

Annotation

This second part of a three-part series comparing Chinese and Western prisons addresses prison legislation, administration of penal institutions, the naming of penal institutions, the classification of prisons, prison costs, prison staff, prisoner management, and perimeter guards.

Abstract

After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, prison legislation in China did not develop rapidly. Since 1994, prison rules have been drafted but not adopted and implemented. Regarding prison administration in China, the Ministry of Justice manages prisons and reformatories, and the Ministry of Public Security (Ministry of Police) administers the jails. Regarding the labeling of penal institutions, in China "prison" refers to all penal institutions that house adult offenders. "Reformatory" refers to all penal facilities that house juveniles. China has only three types of correctional facilities: reformatories, female prisons, and adult male prisons. This limited number of facility classifications impedes the tailoring of facility designs and services to the diverse needs of various types of offenders. Compared to prison costs in Western countries, Chinese prison costs are very low, which affects prison conditions and the number and quality of programs and services for inmates. Regarding prison staff, in China all prison staff are part of the public police force; and although they are assigned different duties, there are no distinctive job classifications among prison staff. Regarding the management structure for Chinese prisons, most prisons have a military-style or semi-military style of management that leaves little room for freedom of choice or alternative options for how inmates will use their time. In China, prison perimeter guards are not part of the prison staff; rather, they serve under the Ministry of Public Security and the Central Military Commission, which limits their accountability to those who manage prison staff. 10 notes