By staff reporter HOU RUILI

WANG Xin (not his real name) lives on an old apartment on the campus of the University of Science and Technology Beijing. The 20-square-meter room functions simultaneously as his living room, study and bedroom. To make the best use of the room’s space, Wang has a smart loft bed. Despite the limited area, the room is clean and tidy and tastefully decorated. It is hard to believe that its owner is a convicted criminal. Two years ago, he was released on parole and returned home to serve the rest of his sentence under correctional supervision in the community. Now, only two years of his sentence remain.

Rehabilitated

Wang Xin is now 47 years old. He had always been a troublemaker in his younger years and was convicted of serious social disruption five times within two years. After carrying out a knife attack, he was sentenced to life imprisonment.

“I had an extremely hot temper. I always confronted prison guards and never obeyed anyone,” Wang Xin said of his mental state in the first years of his sentence. One time, Wang came to blows with prison guards, and in his anger swallowed a steel spoon that necessitated live-saving surgery.

His rebellion lasted several years. In an effort to help Wang manage his anger and reflect on his life, the prison provided him with a place to read and practice calligraphy. It was a turning point for Wang. “Through reading and writing, I gradually discovered inner peace and started to think about my past actions. I realized that a self-centered person would never be able to settle in any kind of environment. Though I had been taught about such philosophies, I never took them seriously or considered them as a potential guide for my life,” he recalled.  

Wang previously worked as a welder. In March 2009 he put his welding skills to use as a laborer inside the high walls. Thanks to his work experience, he was able to train his fellow inmates and was even assigned to carry out quality control on the final products. Meanwhile, he actively participated in various activities including practicing calligraphy, playing table tennis and badminton, and production safety knowledge competitions. His sentence was reduced by 11 months owing to his improved behavior. Later, in March 2013, he was released on parole to serve the rest of his sentence in the real world with the help of his family, local judicial office, and the neighborhood committee of his area.

In the past, heavy sentences were often imposed in China to safeguard social stability. However, today’s China is witnessing a new era characterized by harmony, vitality and innovation. Protection of human rights is becoming a priority and more attention is being paid to equality. Consequently, community correction, one of the key moves in China’s judicial reform, has taken shape.

The community correctional program in China is imposed on offenders on public surveillance, probation, parole, and non-custodial sentences. Within the time specified by the court, judicial administrative bodies together with social organizations help convicts via community correction to mend their ways, learn to be responsible and acquire social skills so as to smoothly reintegrate into the community.

China first launched this new measure in six provinces and municipalities including Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shandong in 2003. Two years later, it was extended to 18 provinces and municipalities. In 2009, community corrections were rolled out nationwide. According to Li Fujun, head of the correction department at the Justice Bureau of Beijing Haidian District, the 8th amendment to China’s Criminal Law of February 2011 formally stipulates that criminals on public surveillance, probation, and parole should be subject to community correction.

From 2003 to June 2014, the number of convicted criminals placed under correctional supervision surpassed 1.9 million nationwide. At present, there are around 729,000 convicts serving their sentences in communities in China, accounting for one third of the country’s total. In Beijing, more than 45,000 convicts have participated in the community correctional program over the years. Nearly 5,000 are serving community sentences at present.

It is a convention of China’s criminal justice system that legal works are carried out with the involvement of the whole society. For instance, when the country intensified its management of social security in the 1980s, a host of companies and organizations contributed to the campaign by helping to rehabilitate criminals. But the rising cost of doing so discouraged further involvement. In the meantime, increasing custodial sentences exerted financial pressure on correctional facilities. Community correction emerged as an effective measure to maintain social order under a market-oriented economy.

Love Changes Everything

Xueyuanlu Sub-district, where Wang Xin is now serving the remainder of his sentence, has 21 other convicts under correctional supervision. Since its trial in May 2004, 155 people have been placed on the correctional program in this sub-district.

While on parole, Wang needs to report every week to police officer Chen Wenyan at the sub-district’s judicial office. Guided by Zheng Zhao, head of the judicial office, Chen Wenyan and a judicial assistant take care of convicts under correctional supervision in this sub-district, which has 300,000 residents. They are like counsellors, learning how the offenders think and helping them deal with stress while offering help according to their needs.

Chen Wenyan reveals that when first paroled, Wang Xin felt like a stranger in society. The world had changed and his different mindset made him ill at ease.

Wang would often park his motorcycle in front of a classroom building on the campus where he lived. On several occasions, the motorcycle was moved by security guards since the parking area was meant for students and teachers only. Wang was furious about this and lashed out at the guards. The school reported the case to the local judicial office. Zheng Zhao and Chen Wenyan immediately talked to Wang Xin and explained to him why his reaction was wrong. They accompanied Wang to apologize to the guards, who forgave him and decided not to press charges.

One of the basic UN principles in community building is that residents’ attitudes should be of equal importance to the material infrastructure. Community correction is one way to change residents’ attitudes for the better. A local judicial office is usually in constant contact with offenders’ families, close friends and other residents in the community who are ready to help. These people are expected to take care of the offenders in their daily life and help them integrate into society in a manner that is easy for them to understand and accept.

Once back in society, Wang Xin was eager to start earning an honest living, but several failed job applications left him frustrated and disappointed. However, consoling words and help from Zheng, Chen and Li Xiulan, a member of the local neighborhood committee reignited Wang Xin’s passion for life. Their support made Wang realize that a person’s morality is the fundament for success. From then on, Wang resolved to do good things with his life.  

Wang Xin is a filial man. His father died early, leaving him and his mother alone. Years of worry about her wayward son severely affected Wang’s mother’s health. Zheng Zhao once told Wang, “Never wait to fulfill your filial duty. If you go back to jail, you will be unable to take care of your mother – this will surely break her heart.”  

A childhood friend of Wang Xin had a similar experience. Another convict under correctional supervision, he is unable to properly care for himself because of a debilitating disease. So Wang often lends a hand, helping his friend and his friend’s 80-year-old father with cooking and laundry. One day when Wang was cleaning his friend’s house, he found an air rifle. Knowing that regular citizens are not allowed to own guns in China, and with his friend’s consent, Wang handed it in. According to Li Xiulan, this act proved that Wang had learned good ethics. It prompted the neighborhood committee to give Wang a public service job and help him apply for the government’s minimum living allowance. Wang considers his progress as recognition from society, which he values highly.

Wang Xin is a skilled calligrapher. The local judicial office and the neighborhood committee often encourage him to take part in calligraphy exhibitions. Zheng Zhao explained that community correction participants must do eight hours of community service a month. “They can take part in publicity campaigns or clean-up drives,” Zheng said. “Such activities are also organized in jails and are intended to develop convicts’ sense of hard work and dedication.”  

A New Chapter in Life

Most community correction participants left education early. In addition, the last decade witnessed the most rapid development and big changes in China, which makes the outside world even more unfamiliar to them. As a result, it is difficult for this group of people to catch up with the current society in terms of knowledge, views and values. Therefore, study is one of their priorities.

Sunshine Halfway House, a community correction center in Beijing, offers eight hours of study sessions each month for free to those under community correction. The trainings cover various areas from psychology, law and geography to health care, gardening and art. Wang Xin is going to take a course on Chinese geography. “To read and travel more will cheer me up,” Wang said.

In October 2011, the Justice Bureau of Beijing Haidian District reached an agreement with five universities, including Peking University, to jointly establish the Sunshine Halfway House. Professors from these institutions give classes at the correction center. There are also online courses that guide offenders on how to start a new life after prison.  

Last year, Wang Xin purchased two commercial vehicles, partly funded by his friends, and became a partner in a car rental company. Most of his customers are successful entrepreneurs. Having worked for them for one year now, Wang Xin realizes he still has a lot to learn, particularly in modern technology and business etiquette. “I need to carry on studying if I really want to understand my clients.” In order to connect with his customers in the most convenient, 21st-century way, he has learned to use a smartphone. In addition, he plans to learn English to better serve his overseas clients. “I can practice my English when I’m waiting for my customers. I have realized that I need to make full use of my time and learn as much as possible. You never know when an opportunity might come along. So just be prepared,” Wang Xin said.

Love and support from the community and closer family ties as well as a suitable job play an educational role for offenders under community correctional supervision. With these conditions, offenders can gradually change their negative attitudes towards society and eventually begin a new chapter in their life.