Inside Yancheng Prison: Inmates grow own vegetables

2016-09-23 09:15:13 GMT2016-09-23 17:15:13(Beijing Time) Sina English

Yancheng Prison, the only central prison directly subordinated to the Ministry of Justice, locates in Yanjiao district of Sanhe city, Hebei province, next to the southeast border of Beijing.

The prison currently homes about 650 inmates, mainly in three categories: important criminals of normal crimes (including theft, fraud, robbery and rape), foreign criminals and job-related criminals (who are mostly former officials).

Going into the Yancheng Prison, it feels more like a military town rather than a prison. All the buildings are painted with warm colors.

Entrance of the prison.

Police officers undergo safety checks every day.

Meals inside the prison are served in strict accordance with the national standard, a warder said. Photo shows the day’s menu on September 22, 2016. Breakfast: steamed buns, fried salted vegetables, black rice porridge; Lunch: rice and steamed buns, fried pork with tofu and cabbage, fried sweet radish; Supper: rice and steamed buns, braised eggplant, soup with three vegetables.

A vegetable garden in the Yancheng prison.All the vegetables and fruits come from the garden and orchard inside the prison, which are planted by the inmates.

The vegetable garden.

The dining hall inside the prison.

Steamed buns served for the inmates.

In general, only prisoners’ immediate family is allowed to visit the Yancheng Prison. Each meeting is under supervision of a police officer, who learns about the conversation through the head phone.

Diary of an inmate: “I’m happy that I have seen my family. I decide to be good here as a return for my family. I’ll work hard reading and learn some more characters. I was good this week. I didn’t violate any rules.”

The visiting hall.

The sand table therapy room is often used by foreign inmates. Manipulation of the sand table helps the police analyze psychological conditions of the criminals, according to Freud’s theories.

Apart from the sand table room, the rehabilitation center have the Emotion Outlet Room, Music Practice Room and Psychological Evaluation room. There are also a dozen police officers who are certified with level 2 and 3 national psychiatric consultants.

The Emotional Outlet Room.

The Music Practice Room.

The Collective Healing Room

A dorm accommodates eight people in the Yancheng Prison, all in bunk beds. The wood is manufactured to be round-headed to avoid self-harm incident. The quilts are folded in sharp squares. Inmates are required to undergo their internal affairs such as cell sanitation like a militant. They get marks according to performance, which makes an important part for a possible commutation.

Basketball court inside the prison.

Each warden area has its own playground.

Inmates do exercise on the playground.

Inmates do exercise on the playground.

Inmates do exercise on the playground.

Inmates participate sports meeting inside the jail.

Prisoners participate factory work in the prison’s workshop. From work they can study vocational skills which could be used after returning to the society.

With the help of police officers, a foreign inmate published his writings while serving at Yanchang Prison; another inmate with only a primary school’s education became a painter and calligrapher – several of his works are still hanging on the prison’s wall.

Inmates participate a vocational skill test.

Prisoners are allowed to use the computer and read books in the library.

Watching the news report by CCTV is part of the daily routine inside prison.

The clinic in in the prison.

Inmates are allowed to write directly to the head of the warden if treated unfairly.

While the prisoners have a limited term, the police has unlimited time to spend in the prison. They work diligently in the cells, helping inmates to get back to the society for a better life. Photo shows a calligraphy scroll that encourages police officers to stick to their duty.