This year marks the themed promotion of "Social Engagement, Renewed Lives", encouraging public engagement in the rehabilitation of prisoners. The Justice Bureau of Jing'an District partnered with the Jing'an District Committee of the China Democratic League and leveraged professional forces and quality resources in society to effectively rehabilitate inmates, to thoroughly implement the guidelines of the Ministry of Justice of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Central Committee of the China Democratic League on furthering the "Yellow Ribbon Rehabilitation" initiative, mobilize social forces in supporting prisoner rehabilitation, and prevent and reduce recidivism. Recently, the Justice Bureau of Jing'an District and the Jing'an District Committee of the China Democratic League visited the Shanghai Baimaoling Prison and Shanghai Juntianhu Prison in southern Anhui Province to conduct the "Supportive Yellow Ribbon" rehabilitation activity.
Enhancing quality and efficiency: Enriching the in-prison educational resources
The Jing'an District Committee of the China Democratic League and Shanghai Baimaoling Prison joined forces to deepen the integration of public educational resources and special education. Moving forward, the committee will assist the prison in establishing a teaching supervision mechanism and provide professional support in areas such as curriculum development and teaching assessment, thereby further enhancing the depth and quality of educational activities within the prison. Additionally, the Justice Bureau of Jing'an District donated reintegration guides and books covering legal, psychological, and literary topics to the Shanghai Baimaoling Prison and Shanghai Juntianhu Prison, aiming to enrich the spiritual world of prisoners and broaden their cognitive horizons.
Rule of law guidance: Lighting the path for prisoners to abide by the law
The Justice Bureau of Jing'an District organized a Law Education Lecture Team to conduct outreach lectures inside the prisons. These lectures covered the Constitution of the PRC, Criminal Law of the PRC, and Civil Code of the PRC, as well as practical topics such as "How to Plan Personal Careers after Release" and interview skills. Taking a needs-based approach, these tailored lectures addressed prisoners' questions regarding their rights and interests protection and reintegration planning, enhancing the legal awareness of prisoners, particularly those nearing release, and laying an ideological foundation for their successful reintegration into society.
Skills training and support: Bridging the "last mile" to reintegration
Addressing employment challenges for prisoners upon release is critical for rehabilitation work. The Justice Bureau of Jing'an District, Shanghai Baimaoling Prison, and the Jing'an District Committee of the China Democratic League held an agreement signing ceremony for the Heart-to-Heart Bridge workstation skill training project. By precisely aligning with market demands and the characteristics of prisoners, the project introduced practical skills courses tailored for high-demand jobs with promising employment prospects. A mechanism was established to integrate in-prison training with skills certification and post-release job recommendation, improving prisoners' employment competence and self-reliance capabilities, thus truly bridging the "last mile" to social reintegration.
Mediation and restoration: Resolving conflicts through emotional and legal approaches
This activity also promoted the implementation of the "People's Mediation in Prisons" agreement. The Justice Bureau of Jing'an District regularly dispatches professional mediators—both online and offline—into prisons to resolve conflicts among prisoners, as well as disputes between prisoners and their families and relatives, facilitate social relationship restoration, thus fostering a harmonious prison environment and rehabilitation atmosphere and providing systematic psychological support for prisoners to rebuild themselves.
Call from art: Genuine performance awakening new lives
The rehabilitation and reintegration-themed scene play Dark Green, adapted from a real-life case, was presented during the activity. Through artistic storytelling, the play emotionally depicts the protagonist's moving journey: from losing his way in life, to being reshaped through art therapy, then to receiving warm support from society, and ultimately awakening before rebuilding his life with acquired skills.
According to an introduction, Shanghai's first in-prison "Supportive Yellow Ribbon" Heart-to-Heart Bridge workstation was established at the Shanghai Baimaoling Prison in May 2024. Over the past year, the workstation has actively mobilized and guided social engagement in rehabilitation efforts, increasing the number of volunteers; enhanced the quality and effectiveness of social engagement as well as the quality of vocational training and psychological counseling for prisoners; and continuously refined the workstation's operational model, creating Jing'an's distinctive cooperative rehabilitation model with society. Through multi-party cooperation, a five-dimensional-force model was implemented in prisons, encompassing rule of law guidance, skills support, conflict resolution, resource enrichment, and artistic rehabilitation, infusing in-prison educational and rehabilitation with the rule of law and the power of social engagement, and paving the path to renewal for prisoners.
Next, the Justice Bureau of Jing'an District will gather strength to continue to deepen the participation of social forces in rehabilitation work. Through measures such as establishing a social force resource library and perfecting the service standards system, it will continuously promote the socialization and professionalism of resettlement and rehabilitation programs, thereby infusing sustained momentum into social harmony and stability.