What Does a Prison Officer Do?

Qincheng Prison is located in the north of Beijing, at the foot of Yanshan Mountain, with mountains to the west and Hirano to the north, east, and south. It is one of the most famous prisons in China. It has held many high-level prisoners and is known as "China's first prison". ^[1]

Qincheng Prison

The predecessor of Qincheng Prison is Beiping Second Model Prison (Gongdelin Prison), located at No.1 Gongdelin Temple Street outside Deshengmen. South Bridge and North Qin refer to Tilanqiao Prison and Qincheng Prison. Both prisons are known for holding senior officials and celebrities.

In 1955, according to the instructions of the then Minister of Public Security Luo Ruiqing, a new site was constructed; a new prison was built near the east of Yanshan Mountain in the north of Beijing and near Xiaotang Mountain. Built in 1960 with the assistance of Soviet experts. The new site is located in Qincheng Village, Xingshou Town, near Xiaotangshan Town, Changping District, Beijing, and it is customarily referred to as "Qincheng Prison" because of its geographical name.

Qincheng Prison was under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Public Security (pre-trial), and after 1962, it was under the pre-trial bureau of the Ministry of Public Security. Here have been detained the first Kuomintang war criminals, criminals of various major and important cases, special agents of the United States and Chiang Kai-shek, as well as many central leading comrades persecuted by Lin Biao and the "gang of four" counter-revolutionary groups during the Cultural Revolution. ^[2]

Chinese name: Qincheng Prison
Foreign name: qinchengjianyu

Set up time: 1958
Address: Xingshou Town, Changping District, Beijing

Qincheng Prison Construction Background

Qincheng Prison is the most famous prison in China. Established in 1958, it is located in Qincheng Village, Xingshou Town, Changping District, Beijing (near Xiaotangshan Town). It had previously held important members of the Qing Dynasty, KMT generals, the Gang of Four, Cheng Ke Jay and other high-level prisoners. Most of the senior provincial and ministerial officials sentenced in China are concentrated here. Qincheng Prison is also the only prison that is not affiliated with the Ministry of Justice but the Ministry of Public Security.

At first, there were 4 white buildings in the prison. During the "Cultural Revolution", "senior prisoners" increased, and "bull ghosts and snake gods" had nowhere to be detained, so they were expanded here. In 1967, Qincheng Prison added six buildings and six yards.

Each cell is 20 square meters with a separate toilet, as well as a toilet and a foot flush. The walls of the re-offender cell are specially designed to prevent prisoners from committing suicide by hitting the wall. There is only one low bed about one foot above the ground in the room. Only when the communicating materials need to be written, the management staff will send them into a single school desk for primary school students to use. But perhaps for security reasons, the stool is never there, and the bed is where the prisoner sits on weekdays. All permanent facilities in the room have been removed from the corners and polished to round shapes. Iron wire, broken glass pieces, ropes and even cloth strips, as well as flammable and explosive items, in short, all tools that may be used to commit murder, suicide, and escape from jail are extinct here.

Statistics show that more than 100 senior officials at the provincial or ministerial level or above were investigated and punished from 2004 to 2014. Except for the death penalty, most people were detained in Qincheng Prison or served their sentences there.

Qincheng Prison Prison Predecessor

Historical Evolution of Qincheng Prison

The predecessor of Qincheng Prison was the Gongdelin Prison, and the predecessor of Gongdelin No. 1 was the Second Model Prison of the KMT Beiping, so it is also called "Gongdelin" Prison. The prison was built in four years (1915).
The Beiyang warlords, the Kuomintang government, the Japanese aggression army and other reactionary rulers all occupied and used this prison when they occupied Peiping. This prison is an imperial tool used by the ruling class to suppress the people. It is also a historical evidence of the detention and persecution of revolutionary philosophers by the reactionaries. Martyr Li Dazhao, the pioneer of the Chinese revolution, was detained here and he was heroic and righteous here. Outside the prison wall is the execution ground for the executions. After liberation, layers of white bones were found buried underground in the "Gongdelin" wall.
After entering the city, Gongdelin Prison is under the jurisdiction of two departments (North China Military Region Military Law Division and North China Ministry of Social Interrogation Section). The prisoners are also divided into two parts: one is the prisoners held by the North China Military Region Military Law Division; . Prisoners are housed in the east-west prison cell and managed separately by the two departments. The office is also a yard divided into east and west, each working separately. In 1952, after the Military Law Office was removed, all the houses were transferred to the First Office and the Fourth Office (Executive Office) of the Ministry of Public Security.
In 1952, some simple bungalows were built outside the "Gongdelin" wall to serve as housing for the family members of prison officials. However, due to the small number, some cadres and their families still have to live in prisons.
As the pre-trial work progressed, the number of prisoners also increased. In addition to the hundreds of detainees brought into the city by the Interrogation Section, some prisoners cleared from the "Three Antis" and "Big Town Antis" campaigns and some ad hoc prisoners have been detained. After 1954, the war criminal management offices in six regions of the country were abolished. Except for the Fushun War Criminal Management Office, the main war criminals were concentrated in Beijing's "Gongdelin" prison. In addition, a number of foreign and special prisoners have been held here. Therefore, the management of prisoners at that time became a major problem to be solved urgently in the pre-trial work, and the first thing that needed to be resolved urgently was the overcrowding of prisons and the different treatment of management.

Qincheng Prison Facilities Introduction

There is no airing ground, no interrogation room, no sanitation facilities in this prison, not even a sensible toilet. The area of each prison is very small, less than 2 square meters. In order to prevent prisoners from escaping, the shape of the whole prison is "gossip". Each gossip corner is a prison cell, all of which is made of brick and wood. There are few exits from the prison. Upstairs are locked, the ground is paved with blue bricks, and the prison is dark and wet, coupled with years of disrepair, it has been in danger of collapse at any time for decades. ^[3]

Construction of Qincheng Prison

Site Selection of Qincheng Prison

In the fall of 1955, Yao Lun, who was then a director of the Political Security Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security, began to work for the location of the new prison in accordance with the instructions of Minister Luo Ruiqing and then Deputy Director of the General Office Yu Guangwen and Secretary Zhu Hui.
After more than half a year of selection, I finally found an ideal place-Qincheng. This place is located in Changping County in the far northwest of Beijing, at the foot of Yanshan Mountain, and connected to the Ming Tombs. To the south is the natural hot spring Xiaotangshan, to the east is the Taoyukou Reservoir, and to the west is the Datangshan in all directions. This place is far from the city, with mountains on the side and a sparse population. The geographical environment is suitable for the reform and detention of prisoners. Although it was desolate at that time, there were wild grasses and wild wolves, but the natural environment was still good. The traffic here is also relatively convenient, and several naturally formed highways lead to Beijing and its suburbs. Later, Minister Luo Ruiqing made a decision and decided to build a prison directly under the Ministry of Public Security in Qincheng. And because of the geographical name, this prison is customarily called "Qincheng Prison". ^[3]

Construction of Qincheng Prison

After the prison address is selected, there are still a series of problems to be solved one by one. Such as land acquisition, construction of roads and bridges, design of prison drawings, construction and so on.
The first is the work of land acquisition. This land is where the local villagers live, and the price is relatively high, especially the land on which economic crops such as fruit trees are grown is more expensive. Generally, a fruit tree costs tens of dollars, and a persimmon tree regardless of size. Each asking price is forty yuan. In addition, it also purchased farmland more than a dozen miles from Xiaotangshan to Qincheng, built a highway, and built bridges, which solved the traffic problem of Qincheng Prison and opened a good way for the construction and utilization of the prison. Created convenient conditions.
Then came the work of designing and modifying drawings. The guiding ideology at that time was to revolutionize the inhumane approach of the Kuomintang and other ruling classes to the offenders in accordance with revolutionary humanitarian thoughts. The design of the blueprint reflected the Communist Party's policy everywhere and treat the prisoners as people. According to the drawings provided by Soviet experts at the time, necessary modifications and designs were made in accordance with actual needs. From the perspective of confidentiality, security, and solidity, the layout was more rationalized and more scientific. Improvements have been made in facilities and equipment, and additional sanitation facilities have been added to ensure the bathing and sanitation of prisoners, and medical rooms and exercise environments have been designed. After the completion of Qincheng Prison, the prisoners of Gongdelin Prison moved to Qincheng, and there have been great improvements in all aspects. ^[3]

Qincheng prison exit history

In August 2000, the construction of Yancheng Prison in Yanjiao Town, Sanhe City, Hebei Province began. As of 2009, the first phase of Yancheng Prison has been completed and put into use, with the ability to detain and transform criminals. Yancheng Prison will mainly detain important criminals and foreign prisoners in central and provincial ministerial crimes, as well as ordinary criminals with research value (by studying the inherent laws of various transformation methods). After Yancheng Prison is fully put into use, Qincheng Prison will exit the stage of history and change to a detention center. ^[4-5]

Qincheng prison living conditions

In addition to the larger cells in Qincheng Prison, some are equipped with writing desks, toilets, toilets and washing machines. In addition to "reading books and newspapers," some detained officials watch TV for a period of time every day, and they usually focus on 7 to 9 pm. For some special prisoners with poor health, meals can be taken four times a day. Meal standards and fees are set and paid by the state, and family members can also take care of them privately. Basic household items such as clothes and daily necessities can be provided by the family. Although uniforms are available in prisons, prisoners here generally do not need to wear them. In recent years, some other "special" criminals have also been imprisoned in Qincheng Prison, such as criminals endangering national security, foreigners, knowledgeable criminals, and international spies. ^[6]

Statistics of Qincheng Prison

Statistics show that more than 100 senior officials at or above the provincial (ministerial) level have been investigated and punished from 2004 to 2014. Among them, in addition to the death sentence of 8 people, 11% were sentenced to reprieve, 8% were sentenced to life imprisonment, 21% were sentenced to 10 years or more, and 15% were sentenced to 10 years or less. Most of them were held in Qincheng Prison or served their sentences there. For example, Chen Liangyu, former member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Committee, Li Jizhou, former vice minister of the Ministry of Public Security, Qiu Xiaohua, former director of the National Bureau of Statistics, and so on. ^[6]

Crowds in Qincheng Prison

Qincheng Prison was established in 1960 and it has been 55 years. It is relatively well-known both at home and abroad, and it is also a relatively modern high-level prison in China. On the whole, its departments are in line with actual requirements, strong, practical and strict. Qincheng Prison was under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Public Security (pre-trial), and after 1962, it was under the pre-trial bureau of the Ministry of Public Security.

According to the different detainees, the history of Qincheng Prison for more than 50 years can be divided into four stages:

(1) In the first stage , in the 1950s and 1960s, the main objects of detention were pseudo-Manchurians, Japanese prisoners of war, and Kuomintang war criminals, with military ranks of at least the rank of Major General ^[7] ;

Such as: Shen Zui, Wang Lingji, Zeng Xingqing, Xu Yuanju, Liao Zongze, Wang Jingyu, Kong Qinggui, Tang Yao, Wen Qiang (former commander-in-chief of the North District of the KMT Military Command) and others. ^[8]

(2) In the second stage , during the "cultural revolution", the main objects of detention were senior rightists and so-called "counter-revolutionary leaders", ^[7]

Such as Hu Feng (1955), Feng Jiping (formerly Beijing Public Security Director in 1966, who presided over the construction of Qincheng Prison), Wang Guangmei (1967), Lu Dingyi (1968), Jin Jingmai, and so on.

(3) In the third stage , in the 1970s and 1980s, the main objects of detention were members of the two groups of Lin Biao and the Gang of Four; ^[7]

(4) In the fourth stage, since the 1990s, the main target of detention is corrupt officials at the provincial and ministerial levels. ^[7]

Qincheng prison clarifies rumors

On December 6, 2011, according to the Party Construction Network report, there have been widespread reports in the society: some well-known literary and art circles have also entered Qincheng prison, such as Zhao An, former director of the art department of CCTV, well-known writer Zhang Junyi, and famous actor Liu Xiaoqing. people. According to investigations, these people have not actually been in Qincheng prison. In 2002, the detention center of the Beijing Public Security Bureau transferred a group of important criminal suspects to the first detention center under the Qincheng Prison due to the reform of the ward, including Liu Xiaoqing, who was then detained for suspected tax evasion. Zhang Junyi and others also claimed that "he had met Liu Xiaoqing when he was released in the prison" after his release, which shows that he was not held in Qincheng Prison. As for how Liu Xiaoqing himself later said "in Qincheng Prison", an expert said: "That's just raising the price in the name of Qincheng Prison. Qincheng Prison is not accessible to anyone." ^[9]