chapter 1
After graduating from university in 2005, I was assigned to the Education and Reform Section of a men’s prison in the southwestern mountains, becoming a Psychological Counselor. My daily work consisted of providing psychological education to inmates, helping them correct unhealthy mental states so they could better participate in reform.
There was an inmate named Chen Yuan, who was not originally one of my main concerns. He had been sentenced to Death Penalty with Reprieve for Intentional Homicide and had served more than a year. His behavior was average-not particularly proactive, but he obeyed orders and had never gotten into any conflicts. He was usually quiet and inconspicuous among the many inmates with complicated backgrounds.
If he kept his head down for a few more months, Chen Yuan would have passed the probation period for the Death Penalty with Reprieve and had his sentence commuted to Life Imprisonment.
But then, something happened.
Not long ago, Chen Yuan suddenly lashed out and attacked his cellmate. It was a one-sided assault, each punch aimed to kill, and within just a dozen seconds, he had beaten the man so badly that he died from his injuries. The officers on duty didn’t even have time to react.
A year of well-behaved conduct had almost made people forget that Chen Yuan was a demon who had killed and dismembered someone, and that it was only thanks to his Defense Counsel’s clever arguments that he had been granted a two-year reprieve.
Now, Chen Yuan was finally facing the end he deserved. Committing a crime during the probation period for the Death Penalty with Reprieve, and in such a severe manner, meant there was no more reprieve. The Death Penalty was now a certainty.
After the Judgment Document was issued, we notified the inmate a day in advance. Chen Yuan learned that the last 24 hours of his life had been clearly scheduled.
Tomorrow, he would be allowed a Family Visit, take a thorough shower, have a good meal, receive Psychological Counseling, then undergo Identity Verification, and finally be handed over for execution.
Chen Yuan showed a strange expression and said nothing.
I asked, “Do you have any questions?”
“No.”