 Re @-@ education through labor ( RTL ) ( simplified Chinese : <unk> ; traditional Chinese : <unk> ; pinyin : <unk> <unk> ) , abbreviated <unk> ( simplified Chinese : <unk> ; traditional Chinese : <unk> ; pinyin : <unk> ) was a system of administrative detentions in the People 's Republic of China in place from 1957 to 2013 which was generally used to detain persons for minor crimes such as petty theft , prostitution , and trafficking illegal drugs , as well as religious or political dissidents such as Falun Gong adherents . It was separate from the much larger laogai system of prison labour camps . 
