Discussion Paper by the Delegation of the People’s Republic of China at the 22^nd APCCA on Agenda Item 3:

Recruitment, Training and Career Development of Correctional Staff

In accordance with the Chinese law, the prison is the state organ responsible for execution of criminal punishment. The correctional officers carry out the management work in the prison. The correctional officers are a kind of policemen following the police-style administration and police-rank system. They are civil servants enjoying the same treatment as other civil servants in China. Presently there are more than 280,000 correctional officers in China, among which 74,000 are female    officers, occupying 26.27% of the total. The proportion of the correctional officers to prisoners is 1 to 5.4. With regard to correctional officers who are directly in charge of the prisoners, it is stipulated in law that the proportion between the officers and the prisoners should be no less than 8 to 100.

Due to the special characteristics of the correctional officers in China, the conditions for the recruitment are strictly stipulated in the Law of the Police Officers of the People’s Republic of China. Before the government employs a police officer, there should be an open exam and some strict checks which enable top ones to be recruited. The main personnel sources for correctional officers are graduates from institutions for correctional officers, law schools and other special schools. Students can be directly employed upon their graduation from institutions for correctional officers. Other people should first pass the qualifications exam for civil servants and then pass other special examinations under strict procedures.

The Chinese government has always attached importance to the educational training of the correctional officers. Now, in China, every prison has its own training classes. At the level of province, autonomous region and municipality, 5 colleges for correctional officers and 20 special schools for correctional officers have been established. At the central level, the Ministry of Justice has established a Central College for Correctional Officers. Therefore a three-level training network covering the whole prison system of the country has been formed.

According to the principle of graded management, graded training, classified guidance and divided assumption of responsibilities in the training work, the training classes in prisons are responsible for the training of correctional officers at the primary level. The provincial correctional institutions or schools are in charge of the training of correctional officers at the intermediate level, and the Central College carries out the training of some high-level correctional officers, such as director-generals and deputy director-generals of provincial prison administration bureaus. The Chinese Ministry of Justice has specially formulated an Educational Training Plan for Correctional Officers from 2001 to 2005, which encompasses explicit requirements for the training of correctional officers at all levels.

Two ways are explored to ensure the implementation of the plan:

Firstly, to carry out academic credential education aiming at improving literate and professional levels of the correctional officers. The correctional officers are encouraged to take park in the academic credential education in the following manners: 1) to leave from the regular work to study for a period of time; 2) to study  by correspondence; and 3) to teach oneself. One target is to gradually increase the proportion of the talents in fields of law, management, farming, technology and medicine. China is now implementing a project named “7810” for education of correctional officers. It means that by the year of 2005, the rate for the primary level correctional officers that have obtained special training is expected to reach 70% , and for the intermediate level officers, the rate is supposed to reach 80%, and as for the high level officers such as director-generals and prison governors, the prospect of the rate is amount to 100%. Meanwhile, we are devoting major efforts to cultivate complex talents with knowledge of administration and technology.

Secondly, to implement professional trainings targeting at improving the correctional officers’ professional ethics and skills. The trainings will be carried out  by the following ways:

1) According to the policy of training in advance, all the newly recruited correctional officers should have finished a three-month training before taking up their positions. Only those who have passed the exam at the end of the trainings on knowledge of prison management are allowed to take up a post.

2) According to the requirements for different positions in the prisons, the correctional officers at different levels shall take certain full-time trainings related to their positions. The training covers law and policies, professional ethics, professional knowledge and skills.

3) On some urgent issues to be resolved in prisons, there shall be frequent and focalized short-time trainings. The objects of the training should be decided upon the actual situation and specific tasks.

4) To carry out special trainings of correctional officers at different levels before their promotion to higher positions.

5) To carry out continuous education in a planned way for the correctional officers to renew their professional knowledge and improve their professional skills.

In the recent past 3 years (from 1999 to 2002), to enhance the comprehensive qualities of the correctional officers, the Chinese Ministry of Justice has launched nationwide trainings of basic qualities of the correctional officers. The training courses include basic theories, gymnastic skills and post-taking capabilities. More than 280,000 correctional officers have taken part in the trainings and the rate of the participation has reached 99.98%, and the rate of the exam-passing officers is above 97.8% each year. The professional qualities of the correctional officers have been widely improved, which has met the needs of the work of punishing and reforming criminals, and has enhanced the qualities of the reform work, and has also pushed forward all kinds of work in prisons. The training has also provided some successful experience for the enhancement of the personnel construction under the new circumstances.

In short, through various trainings, Chinese correctional officers have received the trainings of different levels, different types and different contents. Their professional qualities, cultural and legal knowledge has been improved. Furthermore, the training has improved the legal and disciplinary consciousness and the professional ethics of the correctional officers. Therefore most of the correctional officers are able to impartially enforce the law and keep honest in performing their official duties, which has propelled the smooth development of the prison work.

The Chinese government attaches great importance to the career development of the correctional officers. It should be noted that at the end of 1994, the Prison Law of the People’s Republic of China was adopted. The law includes special provisions to protect the legal rights and interests of the correctional officers, which read, “The activities on administering the prisons, executing punishments, educating and reforming criminals, which are conducted according to law by the correctional officers of prisons, are protected by law.” The social status and treatments of the correctional officers have been gradually improved, which has enabled this profession to become more attractive and competitive. Comparing with the last few years, the number of senior middle school graduates who applied for the entrance examination to schools for correctional officers has greatly increased. A large number of graduates from local colleges and talents of high levels have joined the correctional professions through national entrance exams for civil servants. So, the correctional profession, which is of a significant tradition, has been added to much more fresh energies.