A total of 374 prison inmates, who are due to be released soon,
attended a job fair at their prison in Beijing Tuesday.
The job fair featured eight companies, and was organized by
Qingyuan Prison. It's the first to be organized by a Chinese prison
as part of efforts to reintroduce former prisoners to society,
according to yesterday's Beijing Youth Daily.
By the end of the day, 66 people had received job offers and 18
had signed letters of intent with their potential employers. The
inmates are due to be released between three days' to three months'
time.
"The event was organized to help these people to earn their own
living and be better prepared for going back to society," said Yang
Jie, deputy director of the Qinghe Division of Beijing Prison
Administration Bureau.
The jobs on offer included storage keeper, security guard,
elevator operator, postman and driver, with monthly salaries
ranging from 600 yuan (US$75.1)?to 1500 yuan (US$187.7).
A lady, who declined to give her name, from Beijing Jintongda
Labor Services Company, said that ex-convicts work hard according
to a friend who employed an ex-convict.
"Ex-convicts need the help of society. The likelihood of their
committing crimes again will be lowered if they have regular work,"
she added.
A head of another company who has employed several former
convicts said he wouldn't reveal this fact to other employees in
his company. He also said he would carefully consider the positions
made available to former convicts.
"I definitely wouldn't give them the chance to reoffend," he
said. "For instance, I would never let a person who had committed
theft to be in charge of the storage."
Not all the Qingyuan inmates attended the fair. One of them said
he plans to conceal the fact that he has been in prison. He is
worried that others would not accept him because of his
past.?
A survey of 200 prisoners conducted by the Beijing Prison
Administration Bureau showed that 76.1 percent of the inmates were
willing to work upon their release.
"Being accepted by society is essential for the ex-convicts to
make a fresh start, which is vital to the stability and harmony of
society," Yang Jie said.
Qingyuan Prison has also set up a job-hunting training program
for prisoners. It is designed to match the prisoners with possible
career options, who are then assessed through mock interviews.
An estimated 3,000 prisoners are released every year in
Beijing.
(Xinhua News Agency July 20, 2006)