SHANGHAI, May 22 (Xinhuanet) -- Getting paid for working in a factory and enjoying TV programs with the whole family at night are things generally considered natural for common people but not for prisoners. But now, such opportunities are opening for inmates.

    Zhang, who was sentenced to two and a half years in the Baoshan Prison in Shanghai about two years ago for selling fake registered trademarks, has become the first prisoner in the country to enjoy the privilege of "imprisonment only on weekends" since last month.

    Working at a local waterworks during the weekdays, the middle-aged man enjoys the same treatment as his fellow workers and gets a monthly payment of 570 yuan, same as the factory's casual laborers.

    Moreover, he is allowed to go home without reporting to prison officials every night from Monday to Friday after finishing his work. Except for returning to the prison on Saturday and Sunday, he enjoys almost the same life as normal people do.

    "I'm very grateful to the prison for giving my husband the opportunity," said Zhang's wife, who is unemployed. "He can come back and he earns money every month. It's a timely help for the family."

    Zhang's 18-year-old son Xiao Lei is also very happy to be able to say "see you later" to Zhang every morning when Zhang goes for work. On Friday night, watching a singing gala on TV together has become the family's favorite pastime.

    "Our penal system is jail-centered," said Bao Guangyue, director of the prison's punishment department, "but for those who have light or short jail terms, imprisonment might not be the most effective way of rectification."

    According to Bao, such socialized practice of "half-imprisonment" can not only create chances for law violators to learn some working techniques before winning recognition from society, but relieves the prison of the heavy pressure of supervising and controlling them.

    But with the acknowledgment, Bao admitted there would be some risks involved if the privileged prisoner tried to escape, but he said the prison stipulated strict requirements for prisoners who could enjoy "weekend imprisonment" such as no grave crime before going to the jail, no bad record during serving the term and only less than six months left before the release.

    Besides, Bao said, the prison officials would contact at times the prisoner's neighborhood and heads of the factory where he was working and talk with the prisoner on weekends to "dissolve" any possible risks.

    At present, the prison is considering adding more well-behaved prisoners on the list to enjoy the semi-socialized life.

    "It's a completely new attempt by the prison to change the way and the place of a prisoner in serving his term. We hope it will promote the socialization of our penal system," said Bao. Enditem