China's Ministry of Public Security (MPS) said there has been no bully-caused detention house death since April 2009 when authorities launched a campaign to weed out bullying in detention venues.

Zhao Chunguang, director of the ministry's prison administration bureau, told Xinhua that police and prosecutors started in April last year to probe into law enforcement in detention houses after a string of inmate deaths pointing to abuses by fellow prisoners and negligence of jailers.

On Feb. 8, 2009, an inmate in southwest Yunnan Province was beaten to death by three fellow inmates. Police first said the man died during a "hide-and-seek" game, which aroused wide public suspicion and criticism.

The scandal was followed by the death of a prisoner in south China's Guangdong province, who died of physical abuses by fellow inmates.

China's Procurator-General Cao Jianming said in his annual work report Thursday that prosecutors had found 2,207 detention house bullies in the nationwide campaign and prosecuted 123 for suspected crimes.

Cao vowed to continue strengthening supervision this year to keep order in detention venues.

In the campaign, authorities also penalized 166 policemen for negligence and malfeasance and seven prosecutors for ineffective supervision.

Lin Yinmao, a deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC), the top legislature, said she was "quite satisfied" with the outcome.

Lin has been paying close attention to the issue of prison bullies for years. Last year, she proposed at the annual NPC session to punish bullies and improve supervision on detention houses.

The MPS and the Supreme People's Procuratorate have planned to gradually improve techniques in order to allow prosecutors stationed in detention houses to simultaneously monitor jails through surveillance videos.

If an inmate asks to meet with prosecutors, detention houses must arrange for the meeting within two days, according to orders.

(Xinhua News Agency March 14, 2010)