Twenty-two women prisoners at a Beijing prison were recently given
a special gift: tailoring training courses which will help them
earn their living when they complete their prison terms.
The course was funded by the People's Procuratorate of the
Shijingshan District in western Beijing and was designed to help
prisoners turn over a new leaf when they leave prison.
In
the past, extra care for prisoners might mean a small amount of
cash, daily necessities such as a towel or soap, and a lecture
urging them to mend their ways and move back into normal society as
soon as possible.
"What the prisoners need most is not money or lectures, but a way
to make a living," said Wang Weifu, an official from the Beijing
Municipal Prison Administration.
Several prisons in Beijing have put training at the top of their
agenda. Prisoners are trained to repair household electric
appliances and motor vehicles, operate computers and landscape
parks or gardens.
"Vocational training is an effective way to help prisoners acquire
specific skills to help them find work after their release," said
Wang.
Last year, 6,770 prisoners in Beijing completed vocational training
courses of various kinds. The prisons have received donations from
all walks of life to facilitate their training program. Local
government departments have donated computers, printers, cameras,
color TV sets and 66,000 yuan (US$8,000) in cash over the last two
years.
With the help of education authorities, Beijing's prisons have also
provided primary and secondary education to poorly educated
prisoners, and encouraged secondary-school graduates to pursue
higher learning through self-education.
Statistics show that 11,637 prisoners in Beijing have taken part in
the city's biannual self-taught examination for higher learning
since 1986; 4,345 have passed at least one test and 51 have
graduated after completing all the required courses.
Zhao Gang, who had received death penalty with a two-year reprieve
for voluntary manslaughter, was the first in China to earn a
bachelor's degree in jail.
In
addition to training programs, the prisons also work with local
government departments to help released prisoners solve the
problems they face, such as unemployment, lack of housing, and high
medical bills.
Li
Xin was homeless after years in jail when officials began helping
him boost his confidence. With the skills he had acquired in
prison, Li soon found a job.
(
eastday.com.cn August 21,
2002)