12 liable in disease spread in Shandong prison

The Ministry of Justice has urged prisons nationwide to rectify their management practices after a recent investigation has led to 12 current and former officials and workers in the justice and prison system of Shandong province being held responsible for dozens of prisoners and staff becoming infected with the novel coronavirus.

Eleven of the 12 people have been placed under investigation for possible serious violations of disciplines and laws, the provincial anti-corruption watchdog said on Wednesday.

They include Xie Weijun, former head of the Shandong Justice Department and the Prison Administration of Shandong; Liu Baoshan, former head of Rencheng Prison; and Chen Minhua, a Rencheng correctional officer.

Among the 11 people, three are also being investigated by prosecutors for possible dereliction of duty.

Further, Chen and another prison worker, Dai Guanghui, are being investigated by the local public security bureau on suspicion of disturbing the prevention and control work of infectious diseases, the release said.

On Feb 21, more than 200 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus pneumonia were reported in the prison in Jining, Shandong province. Later that day, a team led by the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the Communist Party of China Central Committee visited the prison to look into the cluster infection.

A statement issued by the team on Wednesday concluded that the outbreak in the prison happened after a person transmitted the virus to a correctional officer and a worker at the prison.

That person had driven to Jining from Wuhan, Hubei province, the center of the epidemic, on Jan 21.

The statement did not disclose the person's identity.

The team said that former prison officials failed to implement outbreak control requirements mandated by the central leadership and engaged in excessive bureaucracy and formalism.

The officials also failed to recognize the importance of the measures put in place to prevent the spread of the disease.

Due to lax management, the correctional officer carried the virus inside the prison, causing it to quickly spread among inmates, the team said.

It pointed out that the Shandong Justice Department, as the regulator for the provincial prison management, neglected its duty to guide and supervise the epidemic control in the Rencheng prison.

The Ministry of Justice, the nation's top regulator for prison management, said on Wednesday that it will address loopholes and problems exposed in the case.

The ministry noted the Rencheng case reflected a neglect of duty, saying it has urged prisons across the country to improve their management and governance capability.

By Feb 27, a total of 555 confirmed cases had been reported in five prisons in three provinces－Shandong, Zhejiang and Hubei. So far, no fatalities have been reported.