Jade and Prisons

People in the West will be aware that many prisons run rehabilitation programs to help inmates reintegrate into society once they have served their time. These can include learning a new skill to help them get a job so they don’t have to return to a life of crime.

Shanghai has taken this one step further and is now offering lessons in  jade carving at its fifteen jails. It is just one of the traditional skills being taught, along with such things as embroidery and bamboo engraving. A recent exhibition of prisoners work at the one of the city’s art museums, attracted a lot of interest.

Not all inmates are eligible to participate. Violent offenders are excluded due to worries over the use of sharp tools.