Reeducation camps in Shanghai ready for change

Shanghai announced on Tuesday that all internees at reeducation-through-labor camps have been released.

The institutions are now ready for a change of role, after the central authorities decided to abolish them. The transformation of the locations and the reassignment of personnel are under way, according to a statement of the political and legal affairs committee under the Communist Party of China (CPC) Shanghai municipal committee.

In a key policy document published last week, the CPC Central Committee decided to end the reeducation-through-labor system to better protect human rights.

The controversial system, also known as Laojiao, began in the 1950s. The program usually takes in minor "offenders" whose "offences" are not severe enough to merit court appearances.

A Laojiao committee consists of government departments such as police, civil affairs and education and is able to detain people for up to four years without trial.

The Shanghai statement said that a mechanism for dealing with minor offenders will be set up and community correction systems will be improved.

According to the statement, detention houses, prisons and other correction institutions will carry out specific corrective work for offenders and the judicial administrative department will add manpower to the community correction system. Public security bodies, procuratorates and courts should work to guarantee community correction in line with the law and to avoid allowing offenders to go unpunished.

Other measures include legal aid and supervision to strengthen the judicial guarantee of human rights and judicial efficiency to protect human rights.