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As more and more formerly powerful officials find themselves behind bar, preventing their previously privileged lifestyle from seeping in to their cells has become an issue.
In Yangjiang Prison, south China's Guangdong Province, more than 200 former officials or senior managers of state-owned corporations are confined together after being convicted of various varieties of sleaze.
Luo Yinguo, 60, is one of them. Luo, former secretary of Guangdong's Maoming City Committee of Communist Party of China (CPC), was sentenced to death with two years' reprieve last year for corruption. The official now makes lanterns. Along the same assembly line, many of his convicts colleagues are the cronies of his previous life of luxury.
"Here, I am an ordinary prisoner just like others. I get nothing special," he said.
In the past, disgraced officials were scattered among many different prisons, and their privileges hard to eradicate. Those who used to be powerful with wide social connections, found it easy to exert their influence over prison guards and other prisoners,Lin Yingkun, warden of the prison said.
"Collective management of these prisoners aims at fairness and justice for all. No one enjoys privileges in this prison," he said.
Apart from physical work, fallen officials are evaluated like any other, and details of all their behavior subject to public scrutiny.
Prisons in other regions, including Beijing, Chongqing and Hunan, have the same collective management of convicted officials.
Anti-corruption has picked up in recent years, especially since 2012, when the current CPC leadership took office.
According to the Supreme People's Procuratorate, 51,306 persons were investigated for work-related crimes in 37,551 cases last year in connection with graft, bribery, and embezzlement of public funds, an annual increase of 8.4 percent and 9.4 percent respectively. A total of 5,515 people were prosecuted for bribery, up 18.6 percent from the previous year.
While more and more corrupt officials are serving their prison terms, corruption inside prisons has become a new of public clamor.
Zhang Hai, former board chairman of beverage giant Jianlibao Group Co. Ltd., managed to have his sentence cut by five years on appeal in 2008 and later reduced by another four years through bribery. Zhang was released in 2011 and fled abroad with his girlfriend.
In February, prosecutors investigated the case, in which 24 people were allegedly involved, including judicial staff, prison guards and lawyers.
To prevent similar cases, the Supreme People's Court in April released a new regulation on commutation of sentences and probation, which took effect on June 1. Hearings are now required on remission for criminals convicted of abusing their power, organizing mafia-style groups or disrupting financial order and financial fraud.
Authorities have realized the seriousness of corrupt officials and businessmen bribing their way out of jail, and are exploring ways to prevent the phenomenon.
Zhao Xiaogeng, law professor at Renmin University, said collective management of these prisoners promotes fairness and justice, and limit their privileges in prison.
"Collective imprisonment may not eradicate their privileges, but at least it will be much harder for them," he said.
