Opening Remarks by CCS at Annual Press Conference

Thank you for travelling a long way to attend this event today and I would like to wish you all a happy New Year.

The prime task of Correctional Services Department (CSD) is to provide quality custodial and rehabilitative services. Both are important tasks, and I would like to take this opportunity to highlight CSD’s efforts in these tasks in the past year.

Lai Chi Kok Correctional Institution

Prison population has been a rather serious problem with CSD over the years. The opening of the 650-penal-places Lai Chi Kok Correctional Institution in July 2006 has helped relieve the problem of overcrowding in female institutions in the near term.

Its completion also marked a milestone in the modernisation of female penal institutions in Hong Kong. The use of a central computerised monitoring system in the new institution demonstrates CSD's commitment to keep pace with the time in applying the latest technology to enhance the efficiency of daily operations.

Redevelopment of Lo Wu Correctional Institution

As penal population is still on the high side while facilities in some penal institutions are relatively old, CSD has therefore examined the redevelopment of existing correctional facilities and the in-situ reprovision of institutions. 
In July 2006, our plan to redevelop the Lo Wu Correctional Institution site into three penal institutions was endorsed by the Legco’s Finance Committee. The project will provide an additional 1 200 penal places at the existing site, bringing the total penal places there to 1 400.

Construction is scheduled to start in April this year and expected to be completed by the end of 2009. The new institutions will start taking inmates in 2010, thus greatly relieving overpopulation in penal institutions.

Rehabilitation / Setting up of a Vocational Training Centre

In July 2006, another institution on the nearby Hei Ling Chau, Lai Sun Correctional Institution, was refurbished and became our Department's first vocational training centre which provides 260 training places with courses on business and technical training for prisoners two years before discharge.

Lai Sun Correctional Institution is established with the aim to help rehabilitated offenders solve their employment difficulties. It also demonstrated that our rehabilitation services have reached a higher and more professional level.

We spared no effort in promoting community awareness in accepting rehabilitated offenders, and to reach out proactively to appeal for more non-government organisations (NGOs) and volunteers, and to work with them hand in hand in the enhancement of rehabilitative services. We organised a number of programmes with interested parties. These included “The One Company One Job Campaign” which was extended to Sha Tin and Sham Shui Po during the year, and “The Road Back IV” -- a TV documentary-drama co-produced with RTHK for the fourth time.

We continued to receive support, both financial and in kind, from our partners in the provision of financial assistance for inmates to pursue higher education and for vocational training. During the year, more market-oriented training courses were provided to female inmates. These included courses on professional nail therapy, hair dressing and beauty care which were jointly organised by CSD and the private sector.  

Regrouping of Penal Institutions

Lai Sun was formerly a prison and drug addiction treatment centre for youths. It is an example showing that penal population at institutions for young male offenders has been decreasing in the past 10 years despite the overcrowding situation at young female institutions.

Seeing this trend, we have reviewed the deployment of penal institutions and at the end of 2006, we carried out a study for the best utilisation of penal facilities through re-grouping. Based on the findings, we have decided to swap Lai King Training Centre with Tai Tam Gap Correctional Institution. Conversion works will start soon and complete before end of 2008, when Lai King will hold young female offenders while Tai Tam Gap will hold male ones.

Through this regrouping, we will improve facilities for rehabilitation programmes for young offenders and at the same time, maximise both staffing and financial resources.

Refurbishment of Correctional Facilities

Most correctional facilities in Hong Kong were built many years ago. Moreover, these penal facilities were not purposely built and many of them are outdated and worn-out. We need to renew these old facilities in order to maintain quality custody and rehabilitative services.

With the commissioning of the Lai Chi Kok Correctional Institution and the redevelopment of Lo Wu Correctional Institution in 2010, we hope that the problem of overpopulation will be alleviated. However, given the problem of outdated facilities, we will continue to explore opportunity to re-develop our old institutions not only for alleviation of over-crowding but also for updating of facilities.

This will be on the top of our agenda.

Risks and Needs Assessment

We started last October to conduct risks and needs assessment for all local inmates with sentences of two years or above upon their admission. In 2007, we will implement rehabilitative programmes matching for offenders starting from inmate centres.

To identify prisoners prone to custodial and re-offending risks and to deliver rehabilitative programmes matching their needs, the protocol has provided CSD with a scientific and evidence-based approach to prison management and offender rehabilitation which has been adopted by advanced prison administrations overseas.

We will implement the protocol in stages conscientiously and carefully with regular reviews to ensure that it is gaining best results.

Conclusion

The provision of secure and safe custodial services is the foundation of rehabilitative work. Therefore, we will continue to spare no effort to deliver high quality custody service and in the mean time dedicate ourselves to the promotion of rehabilitation services.

In all, 2006 was a year of changes and challenges for CSD in both its core business areas of custodial and rehabilitative services. With the concerted efforts and commitment of all members of the Department, we have achieved our goals effectively. I am confident that we will press ahead with one heart and do our utmost in 2007 to strive for the best results in our custodial and rehabilitative services.

ends