 The People 's Republic of China employs several forms of corrections for people who have been arrested , of which re @-@ education through labor was one . The Laogai Research Foundation classifies re @-@ education through labor as a sub @-@ component under the umbrella of the laogai ( " reform through labor " ) criminal justice system , which generally refers to prisons , prison farms , and labor camps for convicted criminals . Re @-@ education through labor , on the other hand , refers to detentions for persons who are not considered criminals or have only committed minor offenses . Persons detained under re @-@ education through labor were detained in facilities which are separate from the general prison system ; furthermore , detainees in these re @-@ education facilities receive a small salary , which laogai detainees do not , and in theory have shorter work hours . The laogai system is much larger than the re @-@ education through labor system , with the Laogai Research Foundation identifying 1 @,@ 045 laogai camps in 2006 ( compared to 346 re @-@ education centers ) . Both systems , however , involve penal labor and often do not allow trials or judicial hearings . The term " reform through labor " or laogai was officially replaced with " prison " in 1994 , and the term " re @-@ education center " or láojiàosuǒ ( 劳教所 ) was replaced with " correctional center " in 2007 . 
