How to Query the CECC Political Prisoner Database

• the data fields (types of information) that you can query;
• how to create a query and, if you have created a log-on, save it;
• how to export the results of your query as a file you can save on your computer.

• CECC record number: a unique ID number for each record.
• main (or religious) name: the primary romanized name of the political prisoner. For clerics, the main name may be a religious (ordained) name.
• Chinese characters (main name): the name of a prisoner in Chinese characters.
• issue category: a broad, subjective assessment of the type of human rights infringement a prisoner’s detention may represent.
• detention status: whether a prisoner is known, or believed to be, currently detained, released, etc.
• sex: a prisoner's sex.
• age at detention: the prisoner's age when taken into detention.
• occupation: a prisoner's occupation. The user will query on broad occupation categories, but the query summary table and individual summary page will show a specific occupation within the category.
• date of detention: the date when a person was taken into police (PSB) custody.
• province where imprisoned: the province where a prisoner is currently imprisoned, or was imprisoned until release.
• current (or last) prison or detention center: the name of the prison, reeducation through labor center, police (PSB) detention center, or other site, where a prisoner is currently imprisoned, or was most recently imprisoned until release.
• current (or last) sentence (or time served): the length of a prisoner's sentence, or the length of time a prisoner was imprisoned before being released. A whole number of years is provided. If a prisoner is sentenced to life imprisonment, or to death with a two-year reprieve, the sentence is represented as "20."

• other (or lay) name: another name used by a prisoner, or the "lay" (secular) name of a cleric.
• alternate name(s): alternate names under which information about a prisoner has been reported. This includes nicknames and aliases.
• pinyin name: the prisoner's name romanized in the pinyin phonetic system, if different than the main name.
• ethnic group: China officially recognizes 56 ethnic groups in China (e.g. Han, Tibetan, Uighur, Mongol).
• religion: a prisoner's religion, or organized belief. The user will query on a broad category, but the query summary table and the individual summary sheet will show a specific religion or organized belief system detail within the broad category.
• legal process: an indication of the type of legal process a prisoner faced. The three broad categories are:
  
  (1) police (PSB) detention;
  (2) criminal charge and prosecution in a court (judicial process);
  (3) an administrative order to serve imprisonment in a reeducation through labor center (administrative process).
• short summary: a short summary of important details about a prisoner's case, and an indication of the principle source of the information. CECC short summaries are a maximum of 1,000 characters in length.

• selecting the fields to query;
• defining the search criteria;
• defining the sort order of the results.

• Step 1: Select the Fields that You Wish to Query.
  In the box that appears on the left, select one or more fields to query. To select multiple fields, hold down the control key and click the fields you wish to query. Move selected fields into the box on the right with the ">" button. You may move fields into the selection box, or out of it, at any time by selecting the field to move and using the ">" and"<" buttons. When you have completed your selection, click "next step" at the lower right.
  
  
• Step 2: Define Your Search Criteria.
  For each field that you have selected to query, specify what data you want to find and what "search operator" to use to find it. Text, dates, numbers, and pre-set lists of entries use different types of search operators. The comments below provide basic guidance. The best way to learn about operators is to experiment with them. When you have finished selecting an operator and search criteria for a field, click "next undefined column" and repeat the process for another field. Do this for each field that you have selected to query. You can go back to any field at any time by clicking "previous column" or "previous undefined column." When you have completed defining search criteria for all the fields you selected, click "next step."
  
  
  • Fields that Have a List of Items to Choose From: decide which of the two search operators you will use. One allows selection of entries to include. The other allows selection of entries to exclude (any entry not specifically excluded will be automatically included in the search). Then select the items from the list of "values" that will be included in the search, or excluded from it. For multiple entries, hold the control key down and make selections.
    
    
  • Plain Text Fields, such as names or the short summary: type what you want to find in the "values" box. You do not need to type a complete word. You may type Chinese characters if your computer’s software supports it. Chinese characters will be found in "Chinese characters (main name)" and in some "short summary" fields. If you have more than one search term to enter, put a comma between each. Select the most appropriate operator. Common operators are “contains this” (if you have only one term), "contains any of these" (if you are searching for any of several terms), or "contains all of these" (if you want all of the terms to apply).
    
    
  • Number Fields, such as age or sentence length: select an operator that is suitable (equal to, greater than, less than, etc.). Type the number you wish to find in the "value" box. Do not use decimals, alphabetic characters, or enter more than one number.
    
    
  • Date of Detention: choose an operator appropriate for your search. You must enter dates in the following format: 2004/01/31 (that is, four digits for the year, and two digits for month and date). If you wish to find any date in a specific year, use this format: 2004/mm/dd. If you wish to find any day in a specific month, use this format: 2004/01/dd. If you are searching for dates in a specific range, choose "is between these values" and provide a date in both boxes using formats described above.
  
  
• Step 3: Defining the Sort Order for Query Results.
  Sort order determines how your list of results will be sorted. Popular ways to sort a list are by name, by date, by province, by prison, etc. Your results can be sorted by any of the 12 fields displayed on the query summary table, whether or not you queried the field. Up to three fields may used to sort your results list. The first field selected will be applied first, then the second, then the third. You may specify ascending or descending order for each sort. When you have set up the sort order, your query construction is complete. Click "next step" and go to the Query Summary.
  
  

• save the query;
• save the query then run it;
• run the query without saving it.