374 prison inmates, who are due to be released soon, attended a job fair at their prison in Beijing on Tuesday.

The job fair featured eight companies, and was organized by Qingyuan Prison. It's the first to be organized by a Chinese prison as part of efforts to reintroduce former prisoners to society, according to Wednesday's Beijing Youth Daily.

By the end of the day, 66 people had received job offers and 18 had signed letters of intent with their potential employers. The inmates are due to be released between three days' to three months' time.

"The event was organized to help these people to earn their own living and be better prepared for going back to society," said Yang Jie, deputy director of the Qinghe Division of Beijing Prison Administration Bureau.

The jobs on offer included storage keeper, security guard, elevator operator, postman and driver, with monthly salaries ranging from 600 yuan to 1500 yuan (about US$187.5).

A lady, who declined to give her name, from Beijing Jintongda Labor Services Company, said that ex-convicts work hard, this is according to a friend who employed an ex-convict.

"Ex-convicts need the help of society. The likelihood of their committing crimes again will be lowered if they have regular work, " she added.

A head of another company who has employed several former convicts said he wouldn't reveal this fact to other employees in his company. He also said he would carefully consider the positions made available to former convicts.

"I definitely wouldn't give them the chance to reoffend," he said. "For instance, I would never let a person who had committed theft to be in charge of the storage."

Not all the Qingyuan inmates attended the fair. One of them said he plans to conceal the fact he has been in prison. He is worried that others would not accept him because of his past. 

A survey of 200 prisoners conducted by the Beijing Prison Administration Bureau showed that 76.1 percent of the inmates were willing to work upon their release.

"Being accepted by society is essential for the ex-convicts to make a fresh start, which is vital to the stability and harmony of society," Yang said.

Qingyuan Prison has also set up a job-hunting training program for prisoners. It is designed to match the prisoners with possible career options, who are then assessed through mock interviews.

An estimated 3,000 prisoners are released every year in Beijing.

(Xinhua News Agency July 20, 2006)