Leaving Prison in the Past

By+Yuan+Yuan

In Wujiaochang Prison in Shanghai， Liu Qiang （pseudonym） watches the critically acclaimed 1994 movie， The Shawshank Redemption. One character in particular resonates with Liu—Brooks， a man who spent 50 years inside the prison where the movie is set. At one point in the movie， another character comments： “These walls are funny. First you hate them. Then you get used to them. Enough time passes， you get so you depend on them.”

Brooks eventually commits suicide after finding it impossible to adjust to life on the outside.

Liu said he understands Brooks but feels he is definitely luckier than the fictional character， as he doesnt share the same setbacks.

Moving on

Liu， 46， has been in prison for 12 years but will be released in September.

Wujiaochang Prison， where Liu stays now， has been in use for 62 years. In 2011， a rehabilitation center for convicts was set up here. Now， the prison mainly houses people with sentences under one year and prisoners transferred from other jails with only three months left to serve.

The prison has an imitation bank， police office， office for industry & commerce， and other government departments， which are designed to help prisoners get ready for the process of regaining their identification and possible insurance.

“This is to help them learn their legitimate rights as a citizen，” said Zhou Bin， Deputy Director of the Office of Wujiaochang Prison.“Many prisoners are very afraid of returning to society as they think they have nothing there and worry about money， food and everything. Here， we teach them that the conditions and process of applying for subsistence allowance and low-rent housing.”

Zhou told Beijing Review that some prisoners have been imprisoned for a long time and havent even seen the current paper currency that was put into circulation in 1999. “In the imitation bank， they can learn how to get a bank card and use an ATM，” he said.

“We also provide psychological services to help them relieve their stress，” Zhou added.

Liu was transferred to Wujiaochang Prison in June. Having been separated from the outside world for such a long time， Liu said that he feels anxious about returning to the outside. But his worries have been relieved after more than two months of training in the new jail.

Liu spent the first two weeks learning about the law and reflecting on his time in prison. Then he received vocational training as a gardener and electrician in the following two months. “The training helped me to pick up my confidence of making a living in the outside world，” Liu said. “It was very helpful”.endprint

He Zhikang， Deputy Director of the Education Department in Wujiaochang Prison， said that vocational training classes including car polishing， restaurant service， cooking， gardening and more. “We have a few job fairs every year in the prison，” he said.“Some prisoners sign employment contracts even before they get released.”

Liu obtained a gardening certificate after the training and several companies already offered to employ him. “I now no longer worry about making an income，” Liu said.

“Figures show that 9 percent of released prisoners who havent received the reentry training would commit crimes again， while among those who have received the training， the number is only 3 percent，” He said.

A helpful hand

“The imitation bank and government offices in prison are just a tiny part of the whole picture of the outside world，” Zhou said. “The challenges waiting for ex-convicts are still numerous. If not well guided， they are likely to commit crimes again.”

“I was rejected by employers everywhere，”said 50-year-old Zhao Lu （pseudonym）， who was released in 2004 after serving 14 years in prison for theft， but was imprisoned again in early 2005 for fraud. “I really wanted to be a changed person， but it seemed society just wont accept me.”

After another three-and-a-half-year stay in prison， Zhao was released in 2008 and found it tough to get a job once more. When he was about to give up trying and turn back to crime， he got a call from Wang Yuanhong， who offered to provide Zhao with a job and free accommodation.

Zhao agreed to meet with Wang， though he remained skeptical. Wang is a private entrepreneur. Since 1985， he has worked to help ex-convicts.

“Although they committed crimes， they already paid the price by staying in prison，” Wang said， talking about the purpose of his efforts. “As they are released， they need a new start and to get involved in society. All they need is another chance.”

First， Wang employed ex-convicts in his own company. Then several other private companies joined， and in 2007， with the support of the government of Jingan District of Shanghai， Wang set up the Hongzhi Center， a non-profit organization helping recently released prisoners find accommodation， employment and training opportunities.

Wang and the Hongzhi Center， which is located in the center of downtown Shanghai， have helped around 200 ex-convicts.endprint

Wangs efforts have been followed by other civic organizations and received government approval. Since 2007， Shanghai has established halfway houses and transition stations in all its districts to help particularly troubled ex-convicts settle back into society.

Unlike halfway houses， transition stations provide information about employment， training and other available opportunities rather than accommodation.

As of June， Shanghai had set up 21 halfway houses and 297 transition stations， receiving more than 4，000 released prisoners.

Zhaos new job is to help police maintain traffic order. “When I first wore the uniform， I couldnt believe it was true，” Zhao said. “As a person in prison for a long time under the control of police， I never imagined that one day I could help them.”

Zhao works very hard and tries his best to help people in need on the road. He once helped a couple to find their lost child. “When they expressed their gratitude and I saw their smiles， I felt so warm and happy，” Zhao said.“I was 26 years old when I was imprisoned for the first time and my sentence was 14 years. I thought my life had already been irreversibly ruined. I never believed I could be of any value to society.”

More surprises came along. In 2011， with the help of local government， Zhao finally had his own apartment in a downtown community in Shanghais Hongqiao District. In the same year， he got married， and in January， his daughter was born. His salary also rose from just over 1，000 yuan （$163） a month to 4，000 yuan（$652）.

“It is like a dream come true，” Zhao said.“It is a scenario that I never dared to imagine in prison. Now I have a family， a child and a job. It is too good to be true.”

Zhao now frequently goes back to the prison and shares his own experiences to encourage others not to lose hope. “Some of them dont believe what I tell them，” Zhao said.“I gave them all my phone number and asked them to call me if they need help after their release. Nobody can give up on you unless you give up on yourself.”

Xu Tao （pseudonym）， another ex-convict， also attributes his re-integration to society to the help of the Hongzhi Center.

Xu wanted to be a driver but had no driving license and no money to pay for the training. Wang paid for the training and after Xu got the license， Wang helped him to find a job.

“Many people make assumptions about those of us whove been in jail，” Xu said. “We had no friends and even our family wouldnt accept us. It is in here that I get care and support， which gives me strength and confidence.”

“Everybody makes mistakes，” Wang said. “It is unfair to hold a person to his mistake for the rest of their life. These ex-convicts need more understanding and caring.”endprint