The eastern Jiangsu province, in China, has applied blockchain technology in prison management. It has successfully passed the ‘smart prison’ review process for the Ministry of Justice. This system is China’s first attempt to deploy blockchain technology in the country’s prison system.
The province, as per local media reports, will set up an integrated online platform to manage the region’s prisons which incorporates more than 800 functions and 1,200 procedures to streamline processes. It intends to provide a one-stop solution.
The report says that the whole process of law enforcement by the police will leave online records. Moreover, 100% of the cases will be traceable. The system managing commutation and parole is connected with the courts. The whole procedure can thus be dealt with online, the report said.
Experts believe China has opted for blockchain technology because of corruption and abuse cases in its prisons. And in the first quarter of 2021, the Chinese government mentioned blockchain in its national five-year plan. An official document said blockchain is one of the new digital industries that should be cultivated and expanded.
China has notedly applied this new-age technology to power Macau’s QR health code system. Much earlier in 2019, Guangdong government agencies were using blockchain-powered invoices.
Initially, China was quite cautious in the development and application of blockchain technology. The hesitancy can be attributed to the technology’s anonymity and immutability. Blockchain transaction has a digital record and signature that can be identified, validated, stored, and shared. And the Communist Party of China is wary as this goes against its hard efforts for cyber sovereignty.
