The Correctional Services Department (CSD) administers a wide range of services for adult and young offenders, drug addicts and offenders with psychiatric problems. The services fall broadly under two programme areas: prison management and reintegration of offenders into society.

    In 2002, the CSD managed 24 correctional institutions, four halfway houses, a reception centre for Vietnamese illegal migrants and two custodial wards in public hospitals. In all, 6 950 staff were looking after a daily average of 12 296 inmates, 178 illegal immigrants and 3 160 persons under supervision after discharge from custody.

    Offenders sentenced to imprisonment are assigned to institutions according to their gender, age and security rating. The last factor takes into account, among other things, the risk they pose to the community and whether they are first-time offenders. Basically, separate institutions are provided for males and females, and for adults and young offenders. A training centre programme is available for both male and female young offenders aged between 14 and 20. A detention centre programme is available for male offenders aged between 14 and 24. A new rehabilitation centre programme has been made available since July 2002 for male and female young offenders aged between 14 and 20. Drug addicts found guilty of an offence punishable by imprisonment may be sentenced to a drug addiction treatment centre. Separate sections are available for young addicts aged between 14 and 20. Offenders requiring psychiatric treatment will be accommodated in the Siu Lam Psychiatric Centre.

    Inmates are properly cared for in their daily living. The diet for inmates follows approved scales of nutritional values and has regard to health and religious requirements. All adult inmates, unless certified physically unfit by the medical officers, are required by law to work six days a week. They are assigned to different work posts according to factors such as their fitness and security ratings, personal background and balance of sentence. They receive earnings for the work done and may use their earnings to buy approved personal items twice a month. Television, newspapers and library books are available to inmates. They may send out and receive an unrestricted number of letters, receive regular visits and participate in the religious services available. Compulsory education and vocational programmes are provided for inmates aged under 21 and voluntary programmes for adults. Voluntary organisations such as the Prisoners' Friends Association may visit inmates who are not visited by their families.

    Prisoners released under the Pre-release Employment Scheme, offenders released under supervision from training centres, detention centres, rehabilitation centres and drug addiction treatment centres, and those having special needs may be accommodated in halfway houses for varying lengths of time. Thereafter, they are permitted to live at home or in other places while they continue to receive after-care supervision.

Penal Institutions

The CSD manages 13 prisons for adult males, consisting of three maximum, five medium and five minimum security institutions. Two prisons and an annex accommodate adult females. For young offenders, the department operates three prisons (one maximum and two minimum security), two male training centres, two male rehabilitation centres and two female rehabilitation centres. A training centre section for young females is provided in Tai Tam Gap Correctional Institution, a multi-function institution for females. There is also one detention centre for young males. Two drug addiction treatment centres are provided, one each for male and female drug addicts. The Siu Lam Psychiatric Centre is a maximum security prison which separately houses male and female prisoners of all categories (sentenced or on remand) and detainees who require psychiatric observation, treatment or assessment. Of all these institutions, five cater for remanded males and females of different age groups. Facilities in a penal institution normally include dormitories, kitchens, dining rooms, laundries, workshops, exercising and recreational areas, library and hospital. Victoria Prison is the oldest prison in use.

    Four halfway houses operated by the CSD provide group counselling sessions and other activities for inmates to assist their reintegration into society.

    Vietnamese illegal immigrants who arrive in Hong Kong are now detained in Victoria Prison after an initial period of quarantine.

    To cope with the perennial overcrowding problem in correctional institutions, the department has drawn up a long-term prison development plan. The redevelopment project for Tai Lam Correctional Institution was completed in mid-2002. Four new rehabilitation centres came into operation in July.

Penal Population

In 2002, the penal population remained high and averaged 11 per cent over the certified accommodation, with prisons for adults, particularly females, being the major pressure points. Despite overcrowding which stretched resources, the CSD continued to implement its correctional programmes effectively.

    During the year, 19 754 adult offenders (10 974 males and 8 780 females) were sentenced to imprisonment, and 7 378 adult remands (5 621 males and 1 757 females) were received for custody. The number of young offenders sentenced to imprisonment totalled 2 588 (445 males and 2 143 females), and 838 young remands (612 males and 226 females) were received for custody. In addition, 728 young offenders (683 males and 45 females) were sentenced to detention in training centres, rehabilitation centres or the detention centre, and 1 289 offenders (1 059 males and 230 females) to drug addiction treatment centres.

    Certain categories of inmates have to undergo different periods of statutory supervision. They are inmates discharged from training centres, detention centre, rehabilitation centres and drug addiction treatment centres, discharged young prisoners subject to the Criminal Procedure Ordinance, prisoners discharged under the Release under Supervision Scheme, Pre-release Employment Scheme, Post-release Supervision Scheme, as well as prisoners discharged under a conditional release order or a post-release supervision order. During the year, 2 576 offenders were discharged under supervision. They, together with those discharged in previous years and who had yet to complete their supervision period, made a total of 2 958 persons (2 625 males and 333 females) under the CSD's supervision at the end of 2002. During the year, 802 persons (719 males and 83 females) were recalled for breach of supervision conditions.

Pre-sentence Assessment Panel

Young persons aged between 14 and 20, who are convicted of an offence punishable by imprisonment, may be remanded in custody for a period not exceeding three weeks for assessment of their suitability for admission to a training centre, rehabilitation centre, detention centre or drug addiction treatment centre. Young male adults aged between 21 and 24 may be similarly remanded for admission to the detention centre.

    The CSD runs the Pre-sentence Assessment Panel that makes recommendations to the courts on the suitability of offenders for detention in a detention centre, training centre, rehabilitation centre or drug addiction treatment centre. The panel investigates all cases referred by the courts, and prepares suitability reports for them. In 2002, 5 847 offenders were remanded for suitability reports, and the panel found 1 613 males and 162 females suitable for admission to a rehabilitation centre, a training centre or a detention centre, and 1 440 males and 303 females suitable for a drug addiction treatment centre.

Young Offender Assessment Panel

The Young Offender Assessment Panel, comprising representatives from the CSD and the Social Welfare Department, makes recommendations to magistrates and judges on the most appropriate rehabilitation programmes for young male offenders aged between 14 and 24 and females aged 14 to 20. In 2002, the panel received a total of 521 referrals from judges and magistrates and 85 per cent of its recommendations were accepted.

Training Centres, Detention Centre and Rehabilitation Centres

Training centres provide correctional training for young offenders for periods ranging from a minimum of six months to a maximum of three years. These offenders attend half-day educational classes and receive half-day vocational training. They also receive character development training in the form of scouting or guiding, Hong Kong Award for Young People activities and Outward Bound training. On Sundays and public holidays, visits are made to youth centres, factories, sports centres and country parks. Activities to provide social service for the elderly, and the mentally and physically handicapped are arranged for inmates nearing discharge to better prepare them for reintegration into society. To help inmates gain family support, newsletters and booklets are published, and a parent-inmate centre was established at the Tai Tam Gap Correctional Institution in 1999. Upon release, inmates must have suitable employment, education or vocational training and are subject to a statutory period of supervision of three years.

    An effective detention centre programme is carried out at the Sha Tsui Detention Centre for young male offenders aged between 14 and 20, and young male adults aged between 21 and 24. It emphasises strict discipline, strenuous training, hard work and a vigorous routine. After release, detainees are subject to a statutory supervision period of one year.

    The CSD began to operate rehabilitation centres under the Rehabilitation Centres Ordinance in July. The centres provide an additional sentencing option to the courts for dealing with young offenders aged between 14 and 20, and in need of a short-term residential rehabilitation programme. The programme consists of two phases with a total period of detention ranging from three to nine months. The first phase of the programme provides two to five months' training in a correctional institution. It focuses on discipline training with the aim of helping the young offenders learn to exercise better self-control and develop a regular living pattern through half-day basic work skills training and half-day educational/counselling programmes. During the second phase of the programme, young offenders will be accommodated in an institution with a halfway house setting for a period of one to four months. They may go out for work, attend vocational training and educational courses, and participate in community service programmes. Discharged young offenders are subject to a statutory period of supervision of one year.

Education

Inmates aged under 21 are required to attend educational classes conducted by qualified teachers. For education classes, textbooks approved by the Education Department and supplementary materials compiled by the CSD are used. To match the development of inmates at different levels and ages, a wide spectrum of curricula is offered. Adult inmates may attend evening classes on a voluntary basis. Self-study packages and distance learning courses, including degree courses offered by local and overseas academic institutes, are also available.

    All inmates are encouraged to take part in both local and overseas public examinations organised by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority as well as other local and overseas authorities. Young inmates may attend formal classes up to certificate level and sit for the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination as school candidates. Adult inmates may sit for the examination as private candidates. Inmates may obtain accreditation by way of public examinations held by the City and Guilds International UK, Pitman Qualifications UK or the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry Examination Board.

    A Prisoners' Education Trust Fund set up with charitable donations in 1995 provides financial assistance to prisoners in educational pursuits, in the form of grants to cover course or examination fees, and expenses on reference books.

Vocational Training

To help young offenders to reintegrate smoothly into society as law abiding citizens, the department provides vocational training programmes for inmates aged under 21 to enable them to learn job skills, obtain accreditation and develop work habits.

    The CSD offers various training courses that match with the inmates' learning ability and needs. All vocational training courses meet the demands of the commercial and industrial sectors in Hong Kong, so that inmates can have a better opportunity for employment upon discharge. Some courses also help inmates to sit for the City and Guilds International UK or Pitman Qualifications UK examinations and to gain accreditations, or to attain the level required for enrolling in relevant courses of the Vocational Training Council and other training institutes. Other training courses are also provided to prepare inmates for employment or for vocational tests conducted by the Vocational Training Council and the Construction Industry Training Authority.

Correctional Services Industries

The Correctional Services Industries (CSI) provides work to adult prisoners as required by law. Employment keeps all convicted inmates, except those who are physically unfit for work, purposefully and gainfully occupied, thus reducing the risk of unrest due to boredom. Through work, prisoners develop good working habits and sense of responsibility, learn the spirit of teamwork and build up confidence. This will also help them acquire quality concepts, environmental awareness and the basic skills for different trades and improve their prospect of reintegration after release.

    In 2002, about 7 400 prisoners were engaged in industrial work daily, on average. Workshops in penal institutions provide a wide range of goods and services mainly for government departments and public organisations. Examples are government furniture, staff uniforms and leather accoutrement, hospital linen, litter containers, mailboxes, traffic signs, paving blocks, slabs and kerbs for highways and infrastructure projects. Prisoners provide laundry services for the Hospital Authority, the Department of Health and other government departments. They also bind books for public libraries, undertake printing work and make envelopes for some government departments.

    Production and services provided by the CSI in 2002 were equivalent to $470 million in commercial value.

Prisoners' Welfare Services

Prisoners' Welfare Officers in the CSD look after the welfare of detainees and prisoners, and help them to deal with personal problems and difficulties arising from detention or imprisonment. Apart from conducting individual and group counselling sessions, Prisoners' Welfare Officers assist in the establishment and running of hobby groups. They also organise activities such as Pre-release Reintegration Orientation courses and meetings with family members of prisoners with the aim of helping inmates to reintegrate smoothly into society upon release and supplying them with information on community resources.

Drug Addiction Treatment

The drug addiction treatment programme aims to detoxify, restore physical health and, through the application of therapeutic and rehabilitative treatment, wean addicts from their dependence on drugs.

    Drug addicts may be detained in a drug addiction treatment centre from two to 12 months, depending on their progress. In-centre treatment is followed by 12 months of statutory after-care supervision. Assistance is also given to inmates with post-release employment and accommodation problems.

Medical Services

All institutions have their own hospital providing basic medical treatment, health and dental care to inmates. Those requiring specialist treatment are either referred to a visiting consultant or to specialist clinics in public hospitals. Although HIV infection and AIDS are not a problem among inmates, the CSD has established guidelines for its staff in handling such cases, as well as a programme of education and prevention.

    Ante-natal and post-natal care is provided in institutions for female inmates, but babies are normally delivered in public hospitals. The Siu Lam Psychiatric Centre treats prisoners with mental health problems, and offers psychiatric consultations and assessments for inmates referred by other institutions and the courts.

Psychological Services

Psychological services are provided to inmates to enhance their psychological well-being and to correct their offending behaviour. Clinical psychologists and trained officers provide special treatment programmes for inmates such as sex offenders, inmates with addictive problems and young offenders. They also provide assessment reports to courts, review boards and institutional management to assist decision-making on the management and rehabilitation of offenders.

After-care Services

After-care supervision is provided to persons discharged from training, rehabilitation, detention and drug addiction treatment centres, young prisoners and prisoners discharged under the Release under Supervision, Pre-release Employment and Post-release Supervision Schemes, as well as prisoners discharged under a conditional release order or post-release supervision order. The aim of after-care services is to facilitate supervisees' rehabilitation and reintegration into society. Rapport among the supervisees, their families and the after-care staff is cultivated to help the supervisees tackle obstacles in their path to rehabilitation. Throughout the statutory supervision period, regular contacts are maintained between the after-care staff and their respective supervisees to ensure that the supervisees settle well into the community and comply with the conditions of the supervision orders. Any breach of the supervision conditions may result in the supervisee being recalled for a further period of training, treatment or imprisonment.

    Under the Release under Supervision and Pre-release Employment Schemes, successful applicants may be discharged directly from prison for after-care supervision or permitted to go out to work and live in a hostel with after-care services. Both schemes aim at enabling suitable, eligible and motivated prisoners to serve their sentences in an open environment with supervision.

    The Post-release Supervision Scheme provides after-care supervision for certain categories of adult prisoners to facilitate their rehabilitation and reintegration into society. Prisoners breaching the supervision conditions may be recalled to serve the balance of their unexpired supervision period. Prisoners with indeterminate sentences may, before the Long-term Prison Sentences Review Board makes recommendations as to whether their indeterminate sentences should be converted to determinate ones, be conditionally released under supervision for a specific period to test their determination and ability to lead a law-abiding life. Prisoners whose indeterminate sentences have been converted to determinate ones may also be ordered by the board to be placed under post-release supervision.

    Success rates of the after-care programmes are measured by the percentage of supervisees completing supervision without reconviction and, as the case may be, remaining drug-free. In 2002, the success rates were 95 per cent for detention centre inmates; 62 per cent for male training centre inmates; 89 per cent for female training centre inmates; 88 per cent for young male prisoners; 100 per cent for young female prisoners; 64 per cent for male drug addiction treatment centre inmates; 77 per cent for female drug addiction treatment centre inmates; 100 per cent for the Release under Supervision Scheme; 100 per cent for the Pre-release Employment Scheme; 85 per cent for the Post-release Supervision Scheme and 100 per cent for those prisoners whose indeterminate sentence has been converted to a determinate one and ordered to have post-release supervision. There were no supervisees who completed their supervision period under the conditional release order and the Rehabilitation Centres Ordinance in 2002. Altogether, there were 2 625 males and 333 females under active after-care supervision at year-end.

Services Provided by Non-governmental Organisations

Non-governmental organisations such as the Society of Rehabilitation and Crime Prevention, Hong Kong, Buddha Light Association of Hong Kong, Caritas Lok Heep Club, Hong Kong Christian Kun Sun Association, the Christian Prison Pastoral Fellowship Ltd, Save the Children Hong Kong and Wu Oi Christian Centre provide services to help offenders and discharged inmates reintegrate into the community. They provide services such as case work, counselling, hostel accommodation, employment assistance, recreational activities and supporting service to children whose parents are in custody.

Information Technology and Management Services

Information technology is used extensively in the CSD to improve its efficiency in daily operation and record keeping. Computer systems are used in the management of the movement of the persons in custody, their daily provisions, work flow of the Correctional Services Industries, as well as staff management and administration. Continuous efforts are being made to enhance the quality and efficiency of prison management and rehabilitation services through the introduction of new technologies.

    The department's Quality Assurance Division (known as the Inspectorate and Management Services Division before 2002) initiates quality management to enhance operations by carrying out management studies, inspections and evaluation of services as well as updating departmental practices to bring them into line with the prevailing policy and the changing needs of the community.

Staff Training

In line with its vision, mission and values, the CSD enhances processes in human resource management to provide overall training in modern correctional services and management skills. The Staff Training Institute runs training courses for new recruits and also provides regular development and specialist training courses. Weekly in-service training is provided at individual correctional institutions. Training curricula place equal emphasis on theory and practice, and include laws of the HKSAR, departmental rules and regulations, counselling, social work techniques, management, psychology, criminology, penology, first aid, foot drill, anti-riot drill, self-defence, tactical training, adventure training, field training, Putonghua, Chinese writing skills, information system training and personal computer training. Induction training is also provided for non-custodial staff.

    The Corporate Cultural Change Programme that started in 2000 has achieved good results in human resource management. To further enhance performance and promote quality service, the department has embarked on a project to inculcate a quality customer-oriented culture among the staff. Concerted effort has also been made to develop an Integrated Performance Management System to facilitate the operation and coordination of various human resource functions such as recruitment, training, career development and succession planning. The department will continue to put forward human resource initiatives to translate strategies into action.

    To implement the concepts of lifelong learning and self advancement, proactive action has been taken to establish an e-learning platform for all staff of the department. In this connection, web-based training materials are being developed. To provide staff with diversified knowledge, the department organises a Programme in Penology with the School of Continuing Studies of the Chinese University of Hong Kong and sponsors suitable staff members to attend relevant courses run by local universities as well as other government departments.

    In an effort to broaden the perspective of staff and keep them abreast of the latest trends and developments in correctional services world-wide, overseas visits, training and conferences are arranged for them from time to time.

Visiting Justices

Penal institutions are visited by Justices of the Peace fortnightly or monthly, depending on the type of institution. The Justices receive and investigate complaints, inspect diets and report on living and working conditions. They may also advise the Commissioner of Correctional Services on employment opportunities for released prisoners.

Complaints

The CSD has a Complaints Investigation Unit that is responsible for handling and investigating complaints in relation to the department's work. All investigation reports are subject to the scrutiny of the Correctional Services Department Complaints Committee, which is chaired by the Assistant Commissioner (Quality Assurance). This unit acquired the ISO 9001:2000 Certificate in August for its complaints handling services.

    Inmates may also lodge complaints with visiting senior officers or utilise other channels for redress of grievances, such as by making complaints to visiting Justices of the Peace, The Ombudsman and Legislative Councillors.