Gama Cering, a prisoner of the Tibet Regional Prison and a member of the food supervision committee in the prison's number one ward, got a swift response when he found the beef from the canteen losing freshness.

  He demanded the prison return it -- and the prison authorities agreed.

  "I am responsible for the quality of the grain, vegetable and non-staple foods bought for my fellow inmates. Food below standard has all been rejected," Gama Cering says.

  Every ward in the jail has a food supervision committee composed of prisoners. They exercise careful monitoring of food quality for inmates everyday.

  Zhaxi Dagar, another inmate, says the committee oversees not only food quality, but also routine prison management.

  "When I was jailed on a charge of deliberately killing others, the prison officer gave me a manual for prison inmates. Among other things, it lists our rights to appeal, defense and protection from bodily assault, humiliation and infringement of personal property," he recalls.

  The prison officers promised to implement the rules and asked inmates to supervise them, he adds.

  Nyi'ma Qoizhoin, a 35-year-old female inmate, says, "I heard before that Tibetan prisons were hard, especially to those who had jeopardized state security. Female prisoners had to do heavy physical labor and often suffered abuse and insults from male officers.

  "However, what I have seen in prison is entirely different from the rumor. All officers on duty in our ward are female. They are kind to us and often chat with me or give me magazines. I was also allowed to attend the cultural class run in the prison," she adds.

  Lobsang Geleg, deputy director of the Tibet Regional Prison Management Bureau, says, "The inmates are indeed criminals.

Nevertheless, they are human beings. Their dignity must be respected and guaranteed.

  "For instance, if something happens to the family of an inmate, the prison would allow him or her a home visit. If an inmate is ill, we would send him or her to hospital and permit visits by his or her family."

  Li Jinquan, an inmate from central China's Henan Province, says the prison evaluates the performance of inmates by a points system.

It is a people's court, instead of prison officers, which has the right to raise or lower the marks of an inmate.

  The prison deputy director admits that when some prisoners make willful provocation, a minority of officers may abuse them. This is forbidden under prison rules.

  "Upon receiving such reports, we talk with the officers involved and asked them to make an apology. If a serious mistake is made, those involved will be punished in accordance with the law," he says.  

  Inmate Gepe says, "I have never suffered a beating or abuse from prison officers. The majority of inmates learn technical skills and do light labor. Many female inmates engage in knitting.

If a guard forces us to do more jobs, we can sue him."

  Boxes for complaint letters can be seen in every prison area. Inmates may insert their letters directly into the box without being examined by prison guards. The procuratorial departments will open the boxes regularly.

  Lu Bo, a prison warden, says, "The transformation of prisoners can be supervised through various means. Prisoners have the right to supervise me too."

  He says his prison is considering making public the requirements on the reduction or increase of prison terms, medical expenditure for inmates and the use of allowances for inmates to be discharged from the prison.

  Up to now, about 25 to 30 percent of inmates had their terms reduced and 80 percent received awards of various kinds. Only one percent of culprits had prolonged terms, he said.

  The Tibet Regional Prison, built in 1960, is the largest prison in Tibet. It has 900 inmates. Women account for seven percent.

Foreign officials have made frequent visits to the prison since 1990.

  Kapil Sibal, chairman of the working group for random detention from the United Nations, says in the visitor's book:  "Obviously, the prisoners are treated in a humanitarian way."