[wmileo]

"Tibetan monks, Xinjiang Muslims, but also non violent dissidents, farmers and members of underground religious communities are among those arrested. Youth crime climbs by 19.1 per cent."

Lets make a trade. 800,000 Chinese dissidents for an equal number of the permanent residents of our prisons. The Chinese Prisoners will become computer programmers and the US vermin will become Chinese vermin. We get greater productivity and they get an extended hunting season.

[DaoPian]

I'm sure there's a few quality trades we could make, but likely it would be a draw. The Chinese have a real dilemma regarding social control.

Check this: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-03/10/content_2676138.htm

"Currently, 68 crimes can merit the death penalty in China and most are non-violent. Experts had called for a "kill fewer, kill carefully" policy towards suspects of non-violent crimes, state media said in August.

In a second report to parliament on Wednesday, China's top prosecutor, Jia Chunwang, said more than 800,000 people were arrested for corruption last year.

Tens of thousands had been convicted in cases of embezzlement or dereliction of duty, avoiding potential economic losses of an estimated 4.56 billion yuan ($551 million), Jia said."

That's the "official" story. There's a lot not being reported. It's not like being in remote China is a place most Western reporters are likely to hang out. I've heard second hand how the Public Security Bureau takes care of trouble makers in Xinjiang. BTW, they are all Muslim there.