Chinese prison funding no longer relies on enterprises

BEIJING - The profits of prison-run enterprises no longer act as the primary financial source for Chinese prisons, Minister of Justice Wu Aiying said Wednesday.

Funding for China's prisons is now mainly provided by central and provincial government spending, Wu said.

Public spending on the country's prison system in 2011 accounted for 87.9 percent of the prisons' total expenses that year, she said.

Wu made the remarks during a report to legislators at the bimonthly session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature.

The finances of prisons and prison-run enterprises are separately calculated and managed under different accounts, Wu said, adding that the purpose of maintaining the enterprises is to help convicts rehabilitate themselves.

Wu said safety conditions in prison-run enterprises have also been improved, with prisons now prohibited from allowing convicts to work with poisonous, flammable, explosive or environmentally hazardous materials.

According to the official, China currently has 1.64 million prisoners in 681 prisons nationwide. The prisons are staffed by a total of 300,000 corrections officers.

The prisons are working to strengthen educational and correctional programs for prisoners. A new correction program that includes five days of work experience, one day of in-class studying and one day off each week is being implemented nationwide, she said.

Prisons are also providing psychological consultation and treatment for their prisoners, the minister said.

Since 2008, a total of 1.25 million inmates across the country have completed literacy and compulsory education programs in prisons. Inmates can also obtain vocational certificates after receiving training in prison, Wu said.

These efforts have helped to discourage ex-convicts from committing crimes again upon being released, she added.