America and China. The world’s
two fastest-growing superpowers. First and third in population. Two of the
most powerful militaries in the world. As they jockey for influence around the world,
they frequently wind up on opposite sides. But they have one thing in common - they have two
of the largest prison systems in the world. If you commit a serious crime while in either of
their borders, you’re going to have a bad time. But what is prison like in China
compared to the United States? The two have many similarities, but in other
areas you might as well be on another planet. If you had to wind up in prison in
one of the world’s two biggest powers, which one is your best bet to see
the other side of those gates again? We’ll start by looking at their prison
populations. The United States has the largest prison population in the world, and the highest
per-capita incarceration rate of any nation. They have a whopping 698 people locked up per
100,000, and in total over 2.2 million Americans are locked up. That’s a lot of prisons across
the country, and they have another 4.7 million people on probation or on parole, meaning
they either did some time in prison or could go there for a probation violation. That’s a
total of almost seven million people under the authority of criminal corrections - just under
three percent of the United States population. China is the most populated country in the
world, with over 1.4 billion people - about 20% of everyone on the planet! So you’d
think they’d easily outstrip the United States in raw population in prison? Wrong!
China only has 1.65 million people in prison, for a population rate of 118 per 100,000. But this
is split between the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Justice, and information on
Chinese prison populations is spotty. This prison population only covers those who went through the
criminal justice system and were convicted of a crime, not those detained by the state security
apparatus. It also doesn’t count the million or so Uighur muslims imprisoned by China in state
re-education camps. In truth, China’s real prison population is impossible to guess, and the
Chinese Communist Party likes it that way. But what crimes are most likely to get
you sent to prison in these countries? In the United States, it’s like night and day when
you look at state and federal prisons. Under 10% of federal prisoners are incarcerated for violent
crimes, while most prisoners are incarcerated for financial crimes like tax fraud or organized
crime, or federal drug crimes. In state prisons, over 50% of all inmates are doing time for violent
offenses like armed robbery, assault, or murder, while 16% are there for drug crimes. This doesn’t
necessarily mean the violent criminals are doing more time, though - mandatory sentences can result
in life sentences for even non-violent crimes. China has two kinds of inmates in its prisons.
Judicial detainees are those charged and convicted of serious crimes, with theft and fraud being the
most common charges. There are over two million charges for these crimes per year, compared to
less than 200,000 charges for violent crimes. But administrative detention is also common,
and this is where the state security apparatus deems you to be a public danger. This
generally results in a shorter sentence, and includes addicts being sentenced
to imprisonment so they can be sent to rehabilitation - whether they want it or not.
And of course, anyone declared an enemy of the state can very quickly become a political prisoner
in the Chinese Communist Party’s justice system. What is likely to happen to you if you’re charged
with a crime in the United States or China? In America, that depends heavily on
what you’re charged with - and how much money you have. When you’re arrested
and charged, the prosecutor and your lawyer will make their cases for how much
freedom you’re given while awaiting trial. You might be released on your own recognizance
for a more minor crime, or given the opportunity to post bail - a financial payment to the court
that’s refunded once you return for trial. If you’re accused of a serious crime and deemed to
be a danger or flight risk, though, the judge might order you held in jail until trial - which
can last a year or more in busy jurisdictions. In China, there is much less uncertainty about
your fate when accused of a crime - virtually all Chinese accused are held in detention
until their trial. You’ll be arrested at the start of the investigation, and be held
while the police work to prove your guilt. The local courts issue a detention order,
and you’ll be held in one of the facilities managed by the public security departments.
And don’t think you’ll be able to catch some naps while waiting for your day in court -
pre-trial detention in China means you can expect frequent rough interrogations where
they try to get a confession out of you. So you’ve been convicted of a crime and sentenced
to prison. What’s your new home going to be like? In the United States, it depends on what
you’ve been convicted of and how long your stay is going to be. If you’re serving
less than a year, you might wind up in county corrections - the same place you likely
spent your pre-trial detention. But if you’re serving a longer sentence, you’re headed
for a state prison where conditions are typically stricter and the security is much more
intense. For the most dangerous criminals - both state and federal - Supermax prisons are
waiting, where inmates typically spend almost twenty-three hours a day in their cells
and are strictly segregated from each other. In China, the focus of incarceration is different.
While they do have standard prisons - including the notorious Qincheng maximum security prison
that was built with help from the Soviet Union and holds many political prisoners - Chinese prisons
often take the form of labor camps or farms. That means prisoners may be sent far away from
home, to work in notorious prison labor camps. So the location of your prison may be determined
less by where you committed your crime and more by where the government wants you -
in a rural area or near a center of industry. You’ve got a long stay ahead
of you. How’s the food? In the United States, you’ll find variety isn’t a
problem for food - as long as you’re nostalgic for those middle school cafeteria lunches. Some
prisons have communal eating for lower-risk prisoners, while other inmates in high-security
prisons eat in their cells. You can expect a lot of sandwiches and things that resemble TV
dinners, but the truth doesn’t always live up to the advertising. Many prisons have their
food provided by private contractors, and the quality has decreased. Inmates often complain
of expired, spoiled, or chemically-treated food. This can cause outbreaks of illness, and
pest infestations have been reported. The only escape most inmates have from the dreary
lunch offerings is the prison commissary. If you earn money from working around the prison or have
someone on the outside willing to send you money, you can buy your favorite snacks
from the outside to eat in your cell. It’s a very different story in China.
English-language information on Chinese prison food is spotty, but several Americans
who spent time in Chinese prisons have given reports - and it’s not pretty. Prisoners are
often given just enough food to give them the energy to keep working, and it’s usually a meal
centered around rice - often with some turnips and a little pork fat on top. And don’t think
about complaining - it’s common for food rations to be cut as punishment in Chinese prisons,
which brings inmates back into line quickly. You’re going to have to keep busy somehow.
What kind of recreation is allowed? American prisons often provide extensive
recreation options for their inmates. It’s common for inmates to have access to
a library, limited computer privileges, and a rec room where they can watch some TV.
Outside, inmates can lift weights or play ball games. It’s almost like gym class - except
for the armed guards. Some Inmates can take college classes, although this is rare due to
the programs being significantly underfunded, and some long-time inmates have become jailhouse
lawyers. This doesn’t apply to supermax prisons, of course, where the options are a lot more
limited to whatever you can do in your cell. If you’re in a Chinese prison, don’t expect to
have much time to think about recreation. You’ll be kept busy with cell inspections, marches,
and prison jobs. The goal of Chinese prisons is to instill order, and the day is run with
military precision. It’s common for inmates to begin their days with chores, followed by chanting
communist slogans and repeating the rules of the prison. Then it’s on to military-style marching
in place. It’s like a very different gym class. Some inmates may get access to reading material,
but one thing both countries have in common is that it’s likely any reading material could
be censored and have to be approved by prison authorities- although for completely different
reasons. In the US anything deemed to be violent or sexual will likely be prohibited for inmates.
In China anything that the government doesn’t like or want you to know about gets censored-
and that can include a lot of things. . Uh-oh, looks like you stepped
out of line. What can you expect? Punishments in prison aren’t part of the
judicial system, but are administered by the Warden and guard. The most common punishment
is solitary confinement - also known as the hole. When you get sent to solitary,
all privileges are taken away and you’re isolated from all other inmates.
Long-term solitary confinement can have a devastating mental-health impact that lasts
long after a person is released - from solitary, and from prison. Prison food can also be
used as a punishment - you won’t starve, but many prisons have punishment meals including
the notorious nutriloaf - where all the essential components of a healthy diet are blended
and baked into a single dense food item that prisoners eat with their hands. Yum. While
those on-the-book prisons are feared by prisoners, the bigger fear may be prisoner abuse.
Many guards violate the prison policies and deal out their own beatings to prisoners who
they feel disrespect from or who break the rules, and it’s hard for an inmate to report a guard
without opening themselves up to retaliation. This applies to the 20% of inmates
who report sexual abuse as well. Chinese prisons prize order above all, and
the slightest deviations from the norm are dealt with harshly. The mildest punishment
is the withholding of daily cigarettes - a rare privilege in the prison - but
guards are allowed to deal out much harsher measures. A slight slowdown or dirty
look can get you punched or kicked by a guard, and inmates who really raise the ire of the
authorities can find themselves on punishment detail or with reduced food rations - a serious
threat, given the meager food. The worst common punishment in Chinese prisons? Being shackled
to the wall, often for days to weeks at a time. You’re going to need to earn your keep. What’s
the working life like in these two prison systems? In the United States, prison labor is common
and inmates often find themselves working for the state. This used to be called a chain gang,
but it’s rarer to see restrained inmates working at the side of the road these days. Inmates
are still used commonly to pick up trash, but it’s more common for third-party companies
to hire them. The company will contract with the state, and inmates will be put to work
in jobs like manufacturing or phone-banking. Most inmates do get paid for their prison labor
time, but they get paid a much lower rate than the minimum wage - often less than a dollar an
hour - which has led to criticism of the policy, with many calling it latter-day slavery.
The US’ large prison population has led the US prison system to be the third
largest employer in the United States. Prison labor is widespread in the United States,
but it’s part of the design of the system in China. Ever since the founding of the Chinese
Communist party, their criminal justice system has been governed by Laogai - a system using penal
labor and prison farms to reeducate their inmates. Originally this was so extensive as to
include anyone who committed minor offenses, but that was abolished. China keeps information
on its prison system close to its chest and journalists have been expelled from the
country for publishing it, but there are estimated to be over 500,000 people detained
on prison farms and labor camps around China. But what fate awaits the worst
convicted criminals in the system? Both China and the United States have the death
penalty, but the two systems are very different. The United States has the death penalty in
twenty-eight states plus the federal system, and currently has over 2,600 people on death
row. It’s not easy to get sentenced to death in the United States, and almost all inmates are
murderers or convicted of serious federal crimes like treason. Once sentenced to death, it’s rare
for an inmate to be executed quickly - they’re entitled to years of appeals, going all
the way up to the Supreme Court before they meet the executioner. The most common methods of
execution are lethal injection and electric chair. China has fewer prisoners than the United
States - but a lot of them don’t stay for long. China’s use of the death penalty is a state
secret, but it’s believed that they used to execute up to 12,000 people each year. The
current estimate is about 2,400 a year. It’s common for judges to dole out a death
sentence and then reprieve the inmate, as a warning of how close they came to death.
But for those who are sentenced to death? The execution comes quickly when approved by the
Supreme People’s Court. Execution is done by lethal injection or firing squad, and is mostly
carried out for murder and drug trafficking. Could you survive either of these prison systems? For more on the harshest prisons in
the world, check out “Prison Where Inmates Live in Coffins”. Or watch “50 Insane
Facts About Prison You Wouldn’t Believe” for more on what the system has waiting for you.
