Rehabilitation

Set up in 1998, the Division has firmly established itself in offender rehabilitation with our 19 years of experience. The Rehabilitation Division bases our professionalism on CSD’s principles of placing dual emphasis on custodial and rehabilitative services advocated in 1982. In 2017, we continued to use the theme “Give Rehabilitated Offenders A Chance” to develop our diversified and yet appropriate rehabilitation programmes to help offenders rehabilitate and reintegrate into society.

Pre-sentence Assessment provides the court with profiles of the persons awaiting sentence and makes recommendations on the rehabilitation scheme for them. There were 2 200 cases in 2017. The Young Offender Assessment Panel, composed of professionals from CSD and Social Welfare Department, provides coordinated views to the court in the sentencing of young offenders by conducting interviews and assessments. In 2017, the Panel handled 58 referrals and 88% of recommendations were accepted.

The Protocol was designed to identify persons in custody prone to custodial and re-offending risks to enhance prison management, and to deliver rehabilitation programmes matched with offenders' needs. In 2017, 3 144 re-offending risks and rehabilitative needs assessments were completed and 9 847 sessions of Risks and Needs Programme Matching were conducted for 27 602 participants.

The Rehabilitation Division renders welfare support and counselling to persons in custody to facilitate their adjustment to the life under custody. The main objectives are to cater for the welfare needs of persons in custody, provide them with guidance to reflect on their offending behaviour and prepare them for reintegration into society. In 2017, we conducted 170 081 individual counselling sessions and 1 355 pre-release reintegration orientation courses.

Targeting offending behaviour by addressing criminogenic needs, psychological services are rendered to enhance the psychological well-being of offenders while under custodial care. Using clinical tools, systematic psychological assessment and follow-up are provided. The Division continued to strengthen the psychological treatment programmes targeting offending behaviours for sex offenders, violent offenders, young offenders, drug abusers, and female persons in custody. In 2017, 30 192 counselling sessions were conducted and 439 assessment reports were prepared. With the new battery of psychological assessment tools for young offenders, we carried out programme refinement on specific treatment modules so as to better address the changing risk / needs profiles of young offenders nowadays. In 2017, we continued our research collaboration with renowned academics and researchers in the study of psychological correlates of youth offending problems. Relevant findings were presented in the CSD’s Conference 2017 - Evolution of Corrections. At the same time, we set up a “Mindfulness Corner” in Nei Kwu Correctional Institution in May 2017 as a pioneer initiative to integrate the clinical use of mindfulness into the existing psychological treatment programme for female drug abusers in the drug addiction treatment centre so as to enhance the programme effectiveness.

The Education Unit caters for young persons in custody with programmes, focusing on general and practical studies. Eligible persons in custody are assisted in participating in public examinations, such as the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination. We are committed to equipping young persons academically and assisting them in attaining accredited qualifications. The Unit also facilitates adult persons in custody who participate in continuing education voluntarily. We cooperate with the Open University of Hong Kong and other educational institutions to promote higher learning and self-improvement. Members of CSD Rehabilitation Volunteer Group (CSDRVG) have arranged to run educational classes for them. In 2017, a total of 717 public examination papers were taken and the overall passing rate was 66%.

Half-way House extends efforts beyond detention, training and drug addiction treatment centres or prisons. Supervisees residing in a half-way house may go out to work or attend school during daytime for better reintegration, discipline and civic awareness. Recreational and social activities are also available.

Statutory supervision facilitates smooth transition back into society for young persons in custody, drug addicts and certain persons in custody. Supervision staff visit supervisees’ home and workplace, and work with them and their social networks to garner respect and support. As at the end of 2017, 1 723 persons were under active statutory supervision.

The Department works closely with NGOs to provide rehabilitation programmes. In 2017, volunteers from over 80 NGOs provided counselling and kept running cultural, religious and recreational projects. In December 2017, we held an NGO Forum in collaboration with the City University of Hong Kong to boost cooperation with NGOs. In the same month, correctional facilities under CSD held various activities under the theme of "Thank-you NGO Month" to let persons in custody express their gratitude towards personnel and volunteers of NGOs which have been cooperating with the Department for a long time.

We have been reaching out to the community to seek public engagement for offender rehabilitation. Among other partners, the Committee on Community Support for Rehabilitated Offenders, composed of community leaders and professionals, advises on offender rehabilitation and publicity strategies. CSDRVG organises activities to supplement services in meeting the needs of persons in custody. With around 240 volunteers, the Group conducted language courses, computer studies, cultural pursuits, etc., for persons in custody in various correctional institutions. Publicity activities have been on-going since 1999, constituting a bridge between persons in custody and society. Through activities such as District Fight Crime Committees District-based Publicity Activities on Offender Rehabilitation, Thank-you NGO Month, NGO Forum and Award Presentation Ceremony for Volunteers of CSDRVG, the importance of collaborative efforts made by members of the community and NGOs to accept and help offenders rehabilitate was highlighted. CSD continues to collaborate with various employers, business organisations and statutory bodies through institutional visits and other interactions to help enhance the employability of rehabilitated persons. With a view to enhancing positive energy in the society and creating opportunities for the disadvantaged, through the collaboration of CSD, the Society of Rehabilitation and Crime Prevention (SRACP), Hong Kong and a private enterprise in July 2017, a social enterprise bakery was planned to launch. Employment opportunities are provided to young rehabilitated persons who have received food and beverage training.

CSD held the “Conference 2017 - Evolution of Corrections” from 19 to 20 July 2017 at the City University of Hong Kong. To tie in with the 20^th Anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the 35^th Anniversary of the renaming of the CSD, the two-day Conference aimed to draw on the wisdom of renowned speakers and participants to promote the development of correctional work. Attendees were participants from Hong Kong, 14 Mainland provinces and municipalities, Macau and overseas countries including Singapore, Canada, Australia, Indonesia, Israel, Fiji, Malaysia, Korea, Japan and Thailand, as well as the United Nations Asia and Far East Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders. The topics of presentations, centred on the theme of evolution of corrections, covered a wide range of correctional issues to foster in-depth discussion and sharing of valuable experiences on custodial, rehabilitation and community education work.

The Rehabilitation Pioneer Project (RPP) includes a series of activities to disseminate to the public the messages of leading a law-abiding and drug-free life as well as supporting offender rehabilitation. The Education Talks introduce Hong Kong’s criminal justice system and CSD’s custodial and rehabilitation programmes. The Personal Encounter with Prisoners Scheme instills anti-crime awareness by arranging young students to visit correctional institutions and meet with persons in custody for experience sharing. The Green Haven Scheme promotes anti-drug messages and the importance of environmental protection among young people. Participants meet with young persons in custody at treatment centres on Hei Ling Chau, gaining insight into the detrimental effects of drug abuse. Visits to Hong Kong Correctional Services Museum foster participants’ understanding of the development of correctional services, particularly the importance of public support for offender rehabilitation. The Student Forum is a regular large-scale event which stimulates students’ introspection by featuring a micro-movie and a sharing session by the director, actors and the protagonist. Since March 2017, a series of three rehabilitation micro-movies co- produced by CSD and Fung Ying Seen Koon has been released during the Student Forum to allow public access through a network platform. The Extended Training Camp featuring a series of discipline training activities aims at enhancing participants’ confidence and developing their positive values. The Drama and Music Performance of "Creation and Rehabilitation" enables students to enjoy drama and music performances presented by persons in custody at the Stanley Prison. The programme provides a platform for persons in custody to contribute to the community by warning the students against committing crimes and reminding them the importance of obeying the law. The Reflective Path aims at enhancing students’ understanding of the criminal judicial system and correctional services, as well as the heavy cost of committing crimes through the simulation of the real situation in prison. The Summer Camp has become the ninth regular programme under the RPP this year. Thirty-three youths who were the prize winners of the book report competition were invited to join the tour to Zhangjiajie in July 2017. Throughout the tour, adventure-based training and visits to schools and families in rural areas, an eco-friendly factory of a global enterprise as well as a large-scale infrastructure were arranged, so as to provide participants with an all-round learning experience conducive to their whole-person development, and to foster development of positive values and attitude. For the purpose of strengthening connections with the youths, students and various sectors of the community, RPP frequently disseminates relevant information through its Facebook Page. The page contains highlights of RPP activities, Correctional Services common knowledge, video of sharing by persons in custody, impression of teachers and students, and links of news coverage on the Department.