Recently, Professor Wu Zongxian, a second-level professor, doctoral supervisor, and director of the Institute of Crime and Correction at the Law School and the College for Criminal Law Science of Beijing Normal University, was invited to Lanzhou City, Gansu Province to give relevant lectures and inspect Yongdeng Prison.

01. June 26

On the morning of June 26, 2024, Professor Wu Zongxian, invited by the Gansu Provincial Prison Management Bureau, delivered a lecture titled "Scientific Criminal View and Supervision Reform." The event was moderated by Ma Zhanming, Deputy Director of the Bureau. Attendees included distinguished leaders such as He Fenggong, also a Deputy Director, Lu Yongquan, Director of the Education and Reform Department, and Gao Hong, Director of the Prison Administration Department, alongside various police officers from the Prison Management Bureau and its affiliated prisons. Additionally, all prisons across the province tuned in to the lecture via the network system. Professor Wu Zongxian shared his profound reflections, drawing from his extensive contemplation on the subject, and delved into the transformative implications of adopting a scientific perspective on criminals for the supervision and rehabilitation process. His presentation was met with enthusiastic reception and appreciation.

On the afternoon of June 26, 2024, Professor Wu Zongxian delivered a lecture at the Law School of Lanzhou University, where he presented "A Comparison of Contemporary Chinese and Western Prisons" to over 60 students enrolled in the "Commissioned Training Project Training Class" from the Education and Reform Department of the Gansu Provincial Prison Management Bureau. These students were engaged in learning and training at the university. The lecture was led by Vice Dean Han Xuemei of the Lanzhou University Law School. Professor Wu Zongxian, renowned for his systematic and comprehensive research on Chinese prisons and their Western counterparts (correctional facilities), has authored influential works including "Contemporary Western Prison Studies" and "Introduction to Prison Studies." Drawing from his extensive theoretical research and firsthand field investigations of prisons in both China and Western countries, he elucidated the key distinctions between the prison systems and delved into how one should interpret these differences.

02. June 27

On the morning of June 27, 2024, Professor Wu Zongxian held a lecture titled "Exploration of Criminological Thinking" at the Law School of Lanzhou University. The lecture was hosted by Associate Professor Chen Jing, who teaches criminology courses at the school, and graduate students from relevant majors at Lanzhou University Law School attended the lecture. The content of this lecture is an integral part of Professor Wu Zongxian's recently independently written university textbook "Criminology", and it is also the first lecture on this topic held in China. At the end of the lecture, Professor Wu Zongxian answered the students' questions and affirmed their in-depth thinking on the relevant issues.

On the afternoon of June 27, 2024, Professor Wu Zongxian went to Gansu University of Political Science and Law. After a brief exchange with the university's president, Professor Zheng Gaojian, Professor Wu Zongxian gave a lecture entitled "Situational Crime Prevention". The lecture was presided over by Dean Zheng Yonghong of the Judicial Police College (Public Security Branch) of the university, and attended by teachers and students from the college and relevant colleges, Associate Professor Bai Haijuan from the Law School of the university, and Associate Professor Chen Jing from the Law School of Lanzhou University. Professor Wu Zongxian introduced the meaning, characteristics, development process, basic principles, and main contents of "situational crime prevention" to everyone. He believed that situational crime prevention can complement traditional crime prevention and enrich the theory and practice of crime prevention.

03. July 1

On the morning of July 1, 2024, Professor Wu Zongxian, accompanied by Director Fan Shouren and Political Commissar Tu Jianyi of Yongdeng Prison in Gansu Province, conducted an inspection of the newly established Yongdeng Prison in the Lanzhou New Area. Originally situated in Tungouwan, Wushengyi Town, Yongdeng County, the prison was designated as the "Gansu Province Juvenile Correctional Institution" in 2012 and relocated to Yuantai Village, Qinchuan Town, Lanzhou New Area in September 2020. Following a tour of the prison's history exhibition hall and the police psychological counseling center within the office building, the delegation ventured into the prison facilities. These included the juvenile correctional facility, art workshop, cultural classroom, mental health guidance center, calligraphy practice class, teacher preparation area, medical clinic, catering center, and correctional center (confinement room). During the visit, Professor Wu Zongxian was particularly struck by the prison's innovative online shopping platform and the comprehensive release training center. The online shopping platform offers inmates a more streamlined shopping experience, allowing them to purchase essential items directly via the internet, thus eliminating the need for physical supermarkets within the prison premises. This system benefits both the inmates and the prison administration. The Release Training Center is equipped with a networked ticket gate channel system, a tablet-based simulation of mobile life, and an administrative business learning system. It ingeniously replicates the daily life scenarios of ex-inmates within the prison setting, creating a "bridge" to societal reintegration. This initiative fills the gap in educational reform, addresses the "reentry anxiety" of soon-to-be-released prisoners, and ensures a smooth transition, connecting the "last mile" for inmates to reintegrate into society swiftly and effectively, fostering their transformation from "prisoners" to "free citizens." Concluding the visit, Professor Wu Zongxian posed for a group photo with the prison's leadership team.