Alipay teams up with the Beijing Municipal Administration of Prisons (BMAP) to provide better service for prisoners and their relatives. Photo from the Weibo account of Chinanews.com.

Relatives of prisoners in Beijing jails can now use Alipay to send money to an incarcerated family member's online account, which prisoners will now be allowed to access and use under the Beijing Municipal Administration of Prisons (BMAP), Chinanews.com reported on Jan. 14.

This move marks the BMAP's latest attempt to build a smart prison with the help of Alipay.

The prison administration explained that online payment is now connected to the e-commerce platform and medical service system of the prison.

The online system aims to provide convenience for prisoners and their families. Relatives can make deposits using Alipay, registered with their real names. The deposit service is free of charge.