Wang Yue never thought she could return to pay tribute to father and nephew who both died in the massive Wenchuan Earthquake on May 12.

Four years ago, she was sentenced to death by a provincial superior court for having committed murder and arson. Later, the sentence was reduced to lifetime imprisonment due to her positive behavior while in jail. Now she is serving out her sentence at the Sichuan Women's Prison.

To ease and comfort the hearts of those prisoners whose families suffered big losses during the earthquake, the Sichuan Bureau of Prison Administration has initiated a campaign that allows prisoners to temporarily return to their hometowns to mourn their loved ones.

On June 6, Wang Yue, accompanied by two cops, returned home, visited relatives and mourned the deaths of her 73-year-old father and 16-year-old nephew. This unusual campaign was widely launched on June 10, the Chengdu Business Daily reported.

"My father always wanted me to behave well in jail. He said he would wait for the day I left prison and returned home. I never thought he would pass away like this," Wang said, adding that she couldn't believe her ears that she was permitted to go home, at least, for a while.

She and her mother also comforted each other at a village of Juyuan Town. She kneeled down at her father's newly built tomb, crying, "Father, I'm sorry!"

"The disastrous areas were hit harder than I thought, but when I saw that my mother and family had been well taken care of by the government, I felt relieved."

Xie Hongmei, another woman prisoner, also returned to her family in Shifang, an earthquake devastated city. Her father and mother-in-law and nephew were all killed in the earthquake.

An official of the prison said: "This is first time felons have ever returned home like this" since they are still considered to be threats to society and require special approval from provincial administration authorities.

(China.org.cn by Zhang Rui, June 11, 2008)