Shanghai Detention Center
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Shanghai Detention Center (SDC) (
Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
: 上海市看守所;
Pinyin Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally written in Chinese for ...
: ''shànghǎishì kānshǒusuǒ'') is located in
Pudong Pudong is a district of Shanghai located east of the Huangpu, the river which flows through central Shanghai. The name ''Pudong'' was originally applied to the Huangpu's east bank, directly across from the west bank or Puxi, the historic city ...
, Shanghai, about outside of downtown
Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...
. The facility houses serious domestic criminals and all foreigners suspected of infractions.


Overview

The facility's primary housing unit is a 3-story building. The building is segregated into East- and West-wing on each floor. Each floor is supervised by a cadre of around 6 guards around the clock aided by a “counselor” from 9 – 5. Each floor is divided into roughly 14 units of cell. Each cell is about 6 meters by 2.5 meters;
Latrine A latrine is a toilet or an even simpler facility that is used as a toilet within a sanitation system. For example, it can be a communal trench in the earth in a camp to be used as emergency sanitation, a hole in the ground (pit latrine), or m ...
and toilet are on one side of the wall while open bars sit on the other end of the wall. In the middle of the room is a massive cubby board that has a dual top. The top portion is opened and folded back flat to form an 8-men sleeping space. Nominal capacity of 10 people means 2 other people will sleep on the walk way uncovered by the top board. All detainees are kept in this close quarter 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Occasionally, they are released to the “exercise court” that measures about 4 x 4 (meters) with no view of outside. Hot water showers are provided once in week during winter time, but detainees typically take daily showers inside the cell. Males and females occupy different floor. Morning bell rings at 6:00 a.m. Breakfast is served around 7:30 a.m.
Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
pop song morning drive program is on from 6:30 to around 8:00 a.m. during weekdays. Lunch and Dinner are served at 11:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., respectively. Meal carts are rotated around each cell and each cell is allocated adequate eating utensils. SDC houses two kinds of people: Chinese nationals who are suspected of or being prosecuted for major infraction and foreigners regardless of nature of infraction. The typical legal process starts when local police makes determination if a person is to be sent to SDC. Once a person arrives at SDC, police has 7 days to determine if the person will be officially arrested; such determination may take up to 7 – 9 days. Empicially very few are ever released from SDC once arrived; typically, a person is moved to "investigation" stage and the law provides another 30-day detention period until police has completed such investigation. This phase can theoretically be extended twice for a total of another 60 days. Only when a case is moved to
prosecution A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the common law adversarial system or the civil law inquisitorial system. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the case in a criminal trial ...
can the suspect speak to his/her attorney. Attorney meeting need to be approved and accompanied by prosecutors; individuals can speak to attorneys privately but such private meeting is monitored. The prosecution phase is another 30-day window that can be further extended.


Sanitation

Detainees Detention is the process whereby a state or private citizen lawfully holds a person by removing their freedom or liberty at that time. This can be due to (pending) criminal charges preferred against the individual pursuant to a prosecution or ...
generally are subject to a daily shower convention: shower takes place by the sink in each cell (sink provides only cold water). Showers are typically allowed after dinner without regard for seasonality. This daily shower is considered a “cell” rule. The detention center provides weekly hot shower but such showers are at the mercy of the furnace.


Communication with outside world

International detainees can be visited by home country
consular A consul is an official representative of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, as well as to facilitate trade and friendship between the people ...
. Such visit is the only venue whereby detainees can communicate with family and friends—detainees do not have phone privileges at all. Such visits must be approved by either the Police department or the district attorney, depending on case progression, and could be accompanied by a Chinese translator. Detainees are not allowed to provide written communication to visitors. Visitors are allowed to bring some outside cooking (or juices) to detainees. Lawyer visitations are allowed but require prior approval by police or
district attorneys In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a l ...
. Any other visitation is strictly prohibited. There are
charlatan A charlatan (also called a swindler or mountebank) is a person practicing quackery or a similar confidence trick in order to obtain money, power, fame, or other advantages through false pretenses, pretense or deception. Synonyms for ''charlatan ...
“brokers” who profit from promises of visitations that are never delivered.


Daily living

Each detainee could receive a monthly family
stipend A stipend is a regular fixed sum of money paid for services or to defray expenses, such as for scholarship, internship, or apprenticeship. It is often distinct from an income or a salary because it does not necessarily represent payment for work pe ...
. The Center keeps pretty detailed and precise ledger of each detainees’ account. Each detainee is allowed to use up to x dollar of its stipend balance to procure
food supplement A dietary supplement is a manufactured product intended to supplement one's diet by taking a pill, capsule, tablet, powder, or liquid. A supplement can provide nutrients either extracted from food sources or that are synthetic in order ...
s, including candies, sweets, snacks, fruits, and extra clothing, once a month. At the time of discharge, unused balance is returned. Unfortunately, most international detainees have not the means to obtain such stipend.


References

{{coord missing, Shanghai Prisons in Shanghai Pudong