The deprivations of a jail sentence are not limited to the prisoner. Families also pay the price, emotionally and materially, especially for the sins of the father, if he is the breadwinner. Sadly, society can turn the screw with prejudice and discrimination. But extrajudicial retribution directed at the spouse of a prisoner takes it to another level that makes a villain of the state, too.
A case in point is Liu Xia, wife of Nobel peace laureate Liu Xiaobo . He is essentially a political prisoner, having served three years of an 11-year sentence for inciting subversion over his co-authorship of Charter 08, which calls on Beijing to introduce democratic reforms.
His wife's ordeal of virtual house arrest began when, to China's fury, he was awarded the 2010 Nobel peace prize, and she announced he had dedicated it from jail to victims of the June 4, 1989 crackdown in Tiananmen Square.