Upon his arrival, he found most principles of justice were restored since the cultural revolution. Penal colonies had been abolished, but imprisonment and the death penalty for serious crimes remained. Alternatives to imprisonment, especially various forms of exclusion and shaming, were widely used but only if mediation between the offender and the victim, or other parties to the conflict, failed after repeated attempts. Interviews with inmates of Chinese correctional facilities indicated the inmates received some formal education and vocational training. Correctional options used in China are discussed in the context of the country's totalitarian political system.