The Rhetoric and Practice of Community Corrections in China

Over the last decade, community corrections in China has operated as an intermediate sanction in response to a growing prison population. Official policy describes this punishment as an alternative to prison, focusing on risk assessment, correctional treatment, and cognitive-behavioral therapies that have been adopted in a number of Western countries. Based on interviews with community corrections officials in Shanghai, this article examines the rhetorical and practical characteristics of this new punishment and, more specifically, considers the consistencies and discrepancies between official policy and its practical implementation. It argues that, despite official policy, community corrections in China is underpinned by intensive correctional supervision that is premised on control, surveillance, and education.