Prisons looking outside to help inmates

By Huang Zhiling (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-10-28 10:09

CHENGDU: Five prisons in Sichuan are trying to break out of the box by taking out a unique ad.

The ad lists serial numbers of inmates plus a bit of information about each, such as: "faces a long prison term and needs psychological counseling"; "family has a financial dispute she cannot solve because she is in prison"; and "jail term will be over soon but he worries about his future job".

Behind the two-page spread, which ran in the popular tabloid Chengdu Economic Daily yesterday, is the hope that members of the public will come forward to assist the 1,000 inmates in need.

Though prisons employ psychologists and have employees who help inmates find jobs, the limited number of consultants and opportunities are not enough.

"That explains why we are seeking the help of people from outside prisons," said Zhang Yinfeng, chief of the Sichuan Provincial Prison Administration's inmate education and reform division.

Li Jinghua, a young police officer in the Jinjiang Prison in the suburbs of Chengdu, was one of those answering the numerous calls on the prison's hotline 028-62871769.

The other four prisons are in the cities of Jianyang, Mianyang, Nanchong and Yibin.

The administration hopes that people willing help these inmates will arrange to come to the prisons on Nov 6, when they can talk one-on-one.

If a mutual agreement is reached, they can sign contracts specifying the help, said administration chief Liu Zhicheng.

The program is believed to be the first time in China that a prison has taken out an ad asking people to help inmates, and it will be the first time in the country that such an activity to help inmates is held in prisons.

The 1,000 inmates include people needing donations of books and materials, psychological counseling, legal aid or jobs.

Anyone older than 18 can offer help. The prison will take their qualifications into consideration when deciding who is eligible, Zhang said.

By helping inmates, people can have a better understanding of prisons and make them more transparent, he said.

To introduce transparency in its prisons, the Sichuan Prison Administration adopted the so-called "open prison day" in the five prisons on April 14 this year.

More than 1,000 people showed up, said You Zhushi, deputy chief of the administration, adding that Sichuan would open its prisons to the public again in November.