'Tis the season for exceptionally harsh prison sentences. China seems to have made a habit of convicting its political activists at Christmas time, and this year is no exception. In the last week, two Chinese democracy advocates, Chen Wei and Chen Xi, have been sentenced to prison terms of 9 and 10 years, respectively. And today, a couple goes on trial for campaigning against forced evictions. more ›

Five migrant workers caught stealing cables from the Shanghai-Beijing high-speed railway have been sentenced to five years in prison each, Shanghai Daily reports. The 580 kilogram cables they took were not very important, thank god, but rather were unused cables from the elevated bridge in Jiading District's Nanxiang area. They are said to have a value of nearly 50,000 yuan (US$7,728). So apparently migrant workers are now both building our high speed rails and tearing them apart. more ›

"because of his good attitude in confessing his crimes as well as a chronic disease he suffers from" said an official statement from Xinhua. more ›

The Guardian brings us this little nugget today: A former prisoner at a labor camp in Jixi reports that prisoners are being forced to mine "virtual gold" online for up to 12 hours at a time, in addition to their daily physical labor. If you're unfamiliar with the term "gold farming", it basically refers to the building up of online currency (like weapons, credits, character levels, whathaveyou) with hours of play, which is then sold for real money to gamers. From the Guardian: more ›

Gao Xiaosong, the Chinese answer to Simon Cowell, was sentenced yesterday to 6 months in prison and a 4000 RMB fine for having caused an accident in Beijing while driving under the influence of alcohol. more ›

On March 21, a reporter visited the No.2 Women's Detention Center in Fuzhou and captured on film the lives of some of the prison's youngest inmates. Most of them under the age of 25, they spend their time focused on a fresh start instead of dwelling on their past mistakes. The reporter also captured a special open house, where family members were allowed to visit and experience the lives of the inmates. more ›

In celebration of Women's Day yesterday, the Chongqing Women's Prison held a dance competition among inmates. While the rest of the 2,000-odd inmates looked on, groups of self-choreographed dance numbers took to the stage. Is it me, or do those first girls in blue look outrageously young to be in prison? more ›

Usually when we wax on the topic of Chinese jails, we invariably chat about beatings, places to detain dissidents and "innocent" games of cat & mouse turning into something more sinister. We don't usually think of basketball courts, East-West fusion architecture or greenery. more ›

The Chinese government is opening a five-month investigation into the 15 "unnatural" deaths of Chinese inmates that have occurred this year alone. more ›

The mystery surrounding the death of the Yunnan prison inmate has finally been cleared up: Last Friday, prosecutors announced that 24-year-old Li Qiao Ming died as the result of an assault by fellow inmates, rather than accidentally during a prison yard game, as police had claimed. more ›

By Richard Yu more ›