BEIJING -- Trans-provincial inspections of prisons were launched in mid-May, China's top procuratorate announced on Thursday.

The campaign, the first of the year, is scheduled to last a month, the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) said.

A series of trans-provincial prison inspections will be conducted on a regular basis henceforth, according to the SPP.

The SPP dispatched seven teams of inspectors selected from procuratorial organs in Heilongjiang, Yunnan, Shanghai, Hunan, Jilin, Guangxi and Sichuan to inspect prisons in Jiangsu, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Jiangxi, Henan, Chongqing and Gansu.

The campaign is focused on examining the prisons' work concerning commutation, parole, temporary execution outside prison, prison administration, education for criminals and the protection of criminals' rights and interests, among other aspects, the SPP noted.

Deputies to the National People's Congress and people's supervisors also participated in the inspections, the SPP said.

Follow-up checks will be conducted after completing the inspections to guarantee effective and timely rectification of the problems revealed in the campaign, it added.