Through Labour prisoners are victims of a significant violation of their human rights - they have been sent to prison without trial by local party officials. Local communist parties in China have the power to send anyone in their area to prison for up to three years if they so choose purely by making an administrative decision - the sentence can subsequently be extended indefinitely. Another category, Forced Job Placement prisoners, are also victims of an iniquitous system. These are prisoners who have completed their jail terms in full, but must continue to carry out forced labour as though they were still serving a sentence. They are usually paid a wage, but this is invariably less than half the amount they could expect if they were not confined in the 'jiuye' system.
Chinese prisoners dread the possibility of jiuye.
Those condemned to jiuye are nominally free citizens once more, but in practice are condemned to live and work in a laogaidui under constant guard by the public security police. In all other respects, they experience the same regime as any other prisoner. This percentage then decreased sharply but has since risen again with government efforts to increase profits from its captive workforce. Of those prisoners who do benefit from a trial in a court, a significant number are prisoners of conscience. Sentences are routinely decided before trials take place and many are sentenced for their political or religious beliefs.