Much has been written about the laogai (sometimes likened to the Soviet gulag) in the People's Republic of China. Depending on the source, the prisons are described as nonexistent, enlightened institutions, or hellish places that subject the inmates to degradation and misery. The system is commonly thought of (by admirers and critics alike) as having a measurable impact on the national economy and providing significant resources to the state. Based on research in classified documents and extensive interviews with former prisoners, judicial personnel, and other insiders, and featuring case studies dealing with the three northwestern provinces, this book examines such assertions on the basis of the facts about this underexamined subject in order to arrive at a detailed, objective, and realistic picture of the situation. In the case of each province under study, the authors discuss the history of the provincial prison system and the impact that each has had at the macro, meso, and micro levels.

Much has been written about the laogai (sometimes likened to the Soviet gulag) in the People's Republic of China. Depending on the source, the prisons are described as nonexistent, enlightened institutions, or hellish places that subject the inmates to degradation and misery. The system is commonly thought of (by admirers and critics alike) as having a measurable impact on the national economy and providing significant resources to the state. Based on research in classified documents and extensive interviews with former prisoners, judicial personnel, and other insiders, and featuring case studies dealing with the three northwestern provinces, this book examines such assertions on the basis of the facts about this underexamined subject in order to arrive at a detailed, objective, and realistic picture of the situation. In the case of each province under study, the authors discuss the history of the provincial prison system and the impact that each has had at the macro, meso, and micro levels.

This is the new paperback edition of the successful and well received hardback. The essays in this collection explore the links between the environment and human rights, and respond to the growing debate among activists, lawyers, academics and policy-makers on the legal status of environmental rights in both international and domestic law. The collection is an original and timely contribution to the existing literature on this subject, and offers a sustained analysis which addresses both the conceptual and practical problems of environmental rights.

In light of evolving techniques and strategies for increasingly complex orthopedic procedures, this accessible guide to patient management outlines the considerations involved in selecting the most suitable anesthetic for both common and complex clinical scenarios. Chapters cover a multitude of clinical presentations and procedures, ranging from orthopedic trauma to total joint replacement, outpatient hand procedures and regional anesthetic placement in patients with pre-existing conditions. Each chapter discusses and evaluates multiple approaches, accompanied by a review of the current literature. Abundant case scenarios of patients undergoing orthopedic surgical or regional anesthesia provide a handy framework for specialists and consultants, as well as an invaluable guide for trainees in anesthesia, regional anesthesia and emergency medicine.