The Chinese Ministry of Public Security recently claimed that both criminal and public security cases have decreased by double digits in the first five months of this year, indicating a continuous improvement in social stability. At the same time, financial, bond, and project planning information released by regions such as Zhejiang, Guangdong, and Jiangsu show that funds are still being allocated for the construction and relocation of detention centers, holding facilities, and prisons, with some projects even utilizing local government bonds ranging from tens of millions to hundreds of millions of yuan.
According to data cited by China’s state mouthpiece CCTV on July 12th, the number of criminal cases registered by national public security agencies has decreased by 16.1% year-on-year from January to May this year, while public security cases have seen a 10.6% drop. Based on this information, CCTV has declared that the social security situation in China is “continuing to improve,” with the public’s sense of security “steadily increasing.” However, these statistics have only been released by the public security system responsible for receiving reports, deciding on case filings, and handling incidents, without disclosing total incident reports, cases not filed, the number of administrative detainees, and changes in the number of detainees across different regions.
Human rights lawyer Dong Bin (pseudonym) in China, in an interview with The Epoch Times, expressed that the official data contradicts severely with the situations he has witnessed: “This is simply telling lies with eyes open. They always claim that criminal cases are decreasing. When I was on business trips to Guangdong, Jiangsu, and other places some time ago, family members of the individuals involved told me that the detention centers are already overcrowded, forcing detainees to sleep on their sides and move in unison while turning. There are too many people, so many places are expanding their detention centers and prisons. China has the highest number of prisons and detention centers in the world, no doubt about it.”
Some Chinese lawyers have previously revealed on the internet that certain areas are experiencing overcrowded detention facilities and an increase in the number of detainees. Lawyer Wang in Sichuan disclosed that a cell originally designed to hold 12 people is now detaining over twenty individuals; while Lawyer Liu in Chengdu also exposed overcrowding in some detention centers, with some low-level suspects who could have been on bail being held in custody.
Amid the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) media promotion of “decreases in cases,” Zhejiang Province’s 2026 special bond credit rating report includes the “Wenling City Detention Center and Holding Facility relocation project” on the special bond support project list as project number 104, alongside railways, wastewater treatment, and other public works, at the provincial level.
The 2025 budget disclosed by Guangzhou indicates that 125 million yuan has been allocated for the relocation project of the city’s First Detention Center, listed as a major city-level investment project. Expenditure under “prisons” in Guangzhou has also increased from 4.398 billion yuan to 4.8488 billion yuan. The Jiangsu government released information disclosing the issuance of 1.629 billion yuan in new local government bonds in 2025, with 109 million yuan for general bonds, primarily for detention center relocation and rural road projects. Authorities in Xiushan County in Chongqing are planning to promote the integrated relocation of “three institutions and one team,” involving the relocation of detention centers, holding facilities, compulsory isolation and drug rehabilitation centers, and armed police squads, with a planned area of around 30,000 square meters.
Mr. Shen, a human rights lawyer in Sichuan, told reporters that many of these projects have the term “relocation” in their names, without official clarification on the number of detainees in the current facilities, design capacities, or additional bed spaces post-relocation.
“The relocation of detention facilities may be related to building aging, site adjustments, and changes in safety standards. But I also heard from people in the judicial bureau that prisons are currently insufficient, detaining primarily two types of individuals: corrupt offenders and those involved in ‘provocation and troublemaking’, usually ranging from two to four years.”
Mr. Shen mentioned that there are over thirty prisons in Sichuan, with renovation and expansion plans in place for Chengdu Prison, Jintang Prison, and Chuansi Prison. He added, “The Ministry of Public Security recently claimed a 16% decrease in criminal cases and a 10% decrease in public security cases. This cannot withstand further questions. Official announcements are for propaganda purposes; they always have their own agendas.”
In recent years, China’s Ministry of Public Security has continuously emphasized the narrative of “sustained decreases in criminal cases.” For example, there was a 4.8% decrease in criminal cases in 2023 compared to the previous year; a 25.7% decrease in 2024; and a further 12.8% decline in criminal filings in 2025, characterized by officials as a “new low since the 21st century.”
Some internet users have raised doubts about why, if criminal and public security cases are continuously declining, various regions are still prioritizing the construction and relocation of detention centers, holding facilities, and prisons, even utilizing government bonds amidst high local debts. Some believe that the individuals detained in these facilities include not only ordinary criminal case suspects but also individuals subjected to administrative or criminal sanctions due to online speech, human rights activities, petitioning, and so-called “provocation and troublemaking.” One netizen wrote that the CCP’s claim of improving public security based on self-reported data while expanding investments in detention centers, holding facilities, and prisons is simply a tactic to deceive the public.