Do I need a lawyer to meet a criminal detainee in a detention center?

Correct. The defense lawyer may meet or correspond with the suspect at any time; Other defenders must obtain the consent of the case-handling department before they can meet or communicate.

Paragraph 1 of Article 37 of the Criminal Procedure Law: A defense lawyer may meet and correspond with a criminal suspect or defendant in custody. Other defenders, with the permission of the people's courts and people's procuratorates, may also meet and correspond with criminal suspects and defendants in custody.