Thanks to painstaking work in the archives, Dikotter is able to usher his readers into the Chinese prison. He follows individual inmates and provides many details on their daily life, social and educational backgrounds, health, and sanitary conditions... [A] useful work for specialists of the penal systems of Asia.
Jerome Bourgon American Historical Review An excellent book, simultaneously meticulous ... Read moreand passionate. Dikotter is a scholar who has retained his passion as well as his ideological skepticism. His fundamental principle is contained in one phrase-'the prison is a failed invention of modernity.' Times Literary Supplement According to Dikotter, the development of the modern Chinese prison system reflects enormous Western influence and traditional beliefs. Choice Show Less