Three inmates serving the death sentence passed oral examinations for college graduation at the Weinan Prison in northwest China's Shaanxi Province recently.
The exam was organized by a panel consisting of four professors in the Northwest China University and other universities.
Over the past three years, five other inmates in the prison had obtained undergraduate diplomas.
Weinan Prison is the first of its kind in Shaanxi to organize university graduation exams for self-taught students. To date, 33 exams have been held for 1,797 applicants serving jail terms.
Yang Cunxiang, one of the three diploma holders, received a reduction of penalty from death to life imprisonment and then to 18 years in jail for his diligence and good attitude toward repentance.
Education in prison will not only help inmates acquire knowledge but also help them make a living after being released, said Hu Bao'an, a prison warden.
(Xinhua 02/07/2001)
