Chinese Law “Death Row” Conditions Individuals sentenced to death in China are not detained separately from others on a specific “death row.” Prisoners continue to be held in detention centres (kanshousuo) between sentencing and execution. They will share a large cell with inmates in pre-trial detention and those given short-term prison sentences. There are no official data or information on conditions for detainees or those, specifically, facing the death penalty. Reports from former detainees, convicted of lesser crimes, and lawyers reveal conditions that do not meet international standards. Detention Centres In mid-June 2017 the Ministry of Public Security issued its draft Detention Centre Law for public consultation, however no further progress has been made to bring legislation to the NPC. Despite calls over the years for detention centres (kanshousuo) to be transferred to the authority of the Ministry of Justice, they remain under police jurisdiction. The Detention Centre Law will update the 1990 Detention Centre Regulations. In recent years, Chinese legal academics and officials have engaged with international experts on best practice and international law. However, the draft available for public consultation offers no significant improvements on current regulations. The Ministry of Public Security retains its control of pre-trial detention (article 6) and detention centres will continue to cater to the same three categories of prisoners: pre-trial, short term sentences and the death penalty. The notorious “hide and seek” case in 2009, in which a young man in Yunnan allegedly died from playing hide and seek with cell mates, highlighted security concerns and the potential for abuse and official cover-ups. This and other cases which attracted public ire led to calls for stronger monitoring of detention facilities by the procuratorate. There is no independent monitoring of detention centres and few outsiders have access. In recent years, former detainees, including several foreign nationals, have released accounts of their incarceration. Reports from former detainees describe a daily regime of petty humiliation including the withholding of toilet paper and eating utensils. Detainees are disciplined through the imposition of long periods of silence and immobility. The diet in detention centres is of low nutritional value, particularly in poorer provinces. Detainees are allowed to purchase better food as well as daily necessities with funds deposited by friends or relatives. However, costs are well above the market rate and the right to deposit funds has been denied in politically sensitive cases. Detention centres have made little effort to accommodate the specific needs of their diverse and vulnerable populations from physical, learning and mental disabilities to healthcare and religious observance. 52