Editing Openai/693af22c-95ec-8008-9486-f714a282fa64 (section)

=== The zhuan’an system (专案制度) operated across prisons, laogai, and laojiao institutions. It referred to parallel investigative structures used for handling politically sensitive detainees. ===

===== Special cases typically involved: =====
* individuals under ongoing political investigation;
* detainees suspected of “counterrevolutionary tendencies,” hidden networks, or unconfessed political crimes;
* persons linked to internal power struggles or factional disputes;
* individuals whose ideological influence was considered harmful inside the camp.

Such designations often originated from higher-level Party committees, Public Security bureaus, or internal security agencies.

===== A “special case” triggered the formation of a small, compartmentalized case-handling group (专案小组). =====
Key features:
* Operated outside routine prison/labor-camp administration.
* Reported directly to county, municipal, or provincial Party political-legal committees.
* Maintained strict secrecy; only designated cadres knew the details.

===== A cadre assigned to a special case—like Captain Du—served as: =====
* monitor, responsible for daily observation;
* ideological examiner, evaluating the inmate’s “thought trends”;
* feedline agent, filing regular reports;
* first responder to “abnormal conditions,” including emotional breakdowns, resistance, or suspected contact with other inmates.

He was often authorized to bypass the director or political commissar and report directly to higher authorities, reflecting the case’s political sensitivity.

===== Reports typically included: =====
* the inmate’s statements, moods, and behavior;
* any signs of resistance, remorse, or ideological wavering;
* interpersonal relations with other inmates;
* responses to political study sessions;
* “breakthrough opportunities”—moments when intensified interrogation or pressure might yield confessions.

===== The structure resembles the Soviet operaktivniki network within the Gulag, where designated officers managed sensitive political prisoners. Both systems relied on dual hierarchies, secrecy, and psychological surveillance rather than purely legal procedures. =====

===== Special-case handling complemented the laojiao system’s emphasis on ideological remolding (思想改造). =====
By isolating politically sensitive individuals and placing them under personalized, highly discretionary supervision, the system aimed to:
* secure political intelligence,
* prevent contamination of other detainees,
* and shape the inmate’s ideological transformation within a controlled information environment.

If you want, I can also prepare:

✓ A table summarizing all glossary terms for quick reference in the manuscript
✓ Explanatory footnotes formatted to insert directly after the relevant sentences
✓ A short note on emotional discipline among cadres handling women detainees in laojiao

Just tell me what you prefer.