City plans more jobs for offenders

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-11-26 10:32

Thousands of offenders in local community correction programs will be provided with job opportunities under a cooperation agreement to be reached before February.

The joint venture involves the local municipal judicial bureau and Beijing's human resource and social security bureau.

"We will issue a document with the human resource and social security bureau to provide employment services for the offenders, " Lin Zhongshu, the vice-head of the community correction department in Beijing municipal judicial bureau told METRO on Tuesday.

The employment services specifically refer to jobs provided by the HR bureau to the judicial bureau, which are then offered to interested applicants in correctional programs.

Community correction is a recent alternative to incarceration for offenders on supervision, probation, parole or who are deprived of political rights.

By the end of October, there were 6,354 offenders in correctional programs in local communities. This year alone, city communities have already received 3,501 new convicts, while 3,377 offenders were discharged, according to official statistics provided to METRO yesterday.

Over the past six years, communities citywide have received a total of 25,260 offenders in correctional programs. So far, 18,917 offenders have been discharged, and offenders who recommit crimes account for only 0.2 percent of the total.

However, correctional officers say employment remains a pressing issue for offenders, adding that by providing employment assistance and more job opportunities, the government hopes convicts can support themselves and return to society.

Lin said Beijing would establish two large-scale operations by 2010. The first plan is to work with 18 temporary placement organizations to provide shelter to offenders who have no relatives or financial resources. The other plan is to generate community work projects for offenders.

At present, Beijing has a total of 315 justice departments, 379 police officers and 848 social workers involved in the community correctional programs. It also has 18 Sunshine Community Correction Service Centers, providing skills and educational training.

"We usually use a combination of education, supervision, management and assistance, " said Xiao Miao, head of Hepingjie justice department in Chaoyang district.

"We use ideological education and psychological counseling to overcome their problems, prevent them from re-committing crimes during the correctional period, and help them obtain a positive view on life in order to adapt to society quickly, " he said.

A 52-year-old offender surnamed Xu was convicted of robbery in 1993 and sentenced to 18 years in jail. He started his community correctional program in May 2006.

"At first I resisted the community correction, I thought it limited my freedom. But now I realize it has helped me," he said.

When he left jail after serving 13 years, Xu was initially very unsure of his future. But he received assistance.

"The justice department has helped me to receive a monthly living allowance of 400 yuan and a housing subsidy of 550 yuan," he said.

Xu now works as a security guard for a company, earning 1,000 yuan per month.