Crime has long been a silent partner in China's march to modernization, just as law and order has become increasingly important in legitimizing the Chinese regime. This groundbreaking volume offers the first systematic exploration of the social, economic, political, legal, and practical parameters of crime and control, locating them within a broader milieu of turbulent development and transition. A multidisciplinary group of leading scholars draw on a rich body of empirical data and rare archival research to develop a theoretical, comparative, and historical context for understanding contemporary Chinese crime, policing, and punishment. All those interested in modern and contemporary Chinese politics, law, and society, as well as in comparative criminology and law, will find this work an invaluable resource.

Introduction: Crime, Control, and Modernity in China
Part I: Recent Dreams, Present Trends, and Future Scenarios
Chapter 1: Penology and Reformation in Modern China
Chapter 2: Comparative Perspectives on Crime in China
Part II: Prison and Punishment in Transition
Chapter 3: A Question of Difference: The Theory and Practice of the Chinese Prison
Chapter 4: Sizing Up China's Prisons
Part III: Policing "Market Socialism"
Chapter 5: Campaign-Style Policing in China and Its Critics
Chapter 6: Toward a Government of the Contract: Policing in the Era of Reform