Life getting better at Beijing detention houses

Beijing is working to improve living conditions at its detention houses, Beijing Morning Post reported Wednesday.

Eleven detention houses have replaced their shared beds with single beds, an investigation into the revised criminal procedure law issued in 2012 showed.

The research was carried out by the law enforcement inspection group of the standing committee of the municipal people's congress on Tuesday, the paper said.

The Beijing No 1 Detention Center, the largest temporary detention place for criminal suspects, provides air conditioners, floor heating, televisions and private bathrooms in cells. Inmates also get a 210-yuan ($34) monthly meal allowance, eight hours of sleep and two-hour outdoor activities.

Video and audio recording equipment was also installed in more than 600 preliminary interrogation rooms to prevent coerced confessions. The recorded material is preserved for at least a year.

The Chinese government started enforcing the revised criminal procedure law on Jan 1, which pledges to "respect and protect human rights" in criminal proceedings.