“劳动教养”是一项具有鲜明中国特色的制度。近些年来,其改革方向和存废问题不断引发社会各界的讨论,而要探寻劳教制度的改革方向,其历史发展演变的过程则不能不认真回顾。“劳动教养”政策第一次明确提出是在1955年。当时中华人民共和国成立不久,为保障政权稳固,开展了一系列政治运动以肃清敌视新政权的反革命坏分子。被清理出来的坏分子有数万之众,但传统处理办法如警告、调职、撤职、开除党籍和判 “Re-education through labor” is a system with distinctive Chinese characteristics. In recent years, the direction of its reform and the issue of deposit and withdrawal have constantly triggered discussions in various sectors of the community. However, to explore the reform direction of the system of labor and education, its historical development and evolution can not but be seriously reviewed. For the first time, the policy of “re-education through labor” was clearly put forward in 1955. Shortly after the founding of the People’s Republic of China at that time, in order to safeguard the stability of the regime, a series of political campaigns were carried out to eliminate counterrevolutionaries who hostile to the new regime. There are tens of thousands of bad elements being cleared, but traditional remedies such as warnings, transfers, dismissals, excommunications and judgments