The judicial process in China requires that individuals who are suspected of a criminal offense be detained in a so-called “detention center” while their cases are being investigated, and if indicted, while they await trial.  (Thus, the detention can take anywhere from a few days to several years.)  Most of the suspects who enter Chinese detention centers know little about the judicial process or how to defend themselves.   If they are found guilty at trial, detention center inmates are transferred to a jail or prison to serve their sentences.  Of course, if found not guilty by the court, they are released from the detention center and are free again.  Detention centers in China are also used as a place to confine death-row inmates before their execution.