Rehabilitation
Since its establishment in 1998, the Rehabilitation Division has not only laid a solid foundation for offender rehabilitation, but also helped promote law-abiding values and the message of supporting rehabilitation to young people through proactively launching community education, including the programme titled “Rehabilitation Pioneer Leaders” and a series of community activities. “Rehabilitation Pioneer Leaders” provide training to young leaders and instil in them positive values in order to achieve the goal of crime prevention. To keep up with the changes of society, the Rehabilitation Division has also introduced STEM education as well as rolling out innovative initiatives, such as “Start-up Business” Pilot Scheme, which aim to enhance the employability of rehabilitated persons and facilitate their reintegration into society.
Youth Broadcasting Programme “Shall We Talk” helps young persons in custody build up self-confidence.
In collaboration with Merchants Support for Rehabilitated Offenders Committee and Youth Career Development Service of Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hong Kong, CSD has launched a start-up business pilot programme at Stanley Prison. Under the programme, persons in custody are provided with life planning courses, career development service, entrepreneurship training, mentorship programme, post-release entrepreneurial support, funding and counselling, with a view to encouraging them to start up their own business and rebuild their life.
Pre-sentence Assessment
Pre-sentence Assessment provides the court with profiles of the persons awaiting sentence and makes recommendations on appropriate rehabilitation programmes for them. A total of 1,362 cases were handled in 2019. The Young Offender Assessment Panel, composed of professionals from CSD and the Social Welfare Department, provides consolidated views to the court on the sentencing of young offenders by conducting interviews and assessments. In 2019, the Panel handled 44 referrals and 88.6% of its recommendations were accepted.
Total case:
1362
Pre-sentence Assessment
Risks and Needs Assessment and Management
The Protocol which is evidence-based and supported by robust data is implemented to identify the rehabilitative needs and the re-offending risks of each person in custody. Proper intervention can thus be initiated to enhance the custodial management and match persons in custody with appropriate rehabilitation programmes. In 2019, 3,026 re-offending risks and rehabilitative needs assessments were completed and 11,027 sessions of rehabilitation programmes in the form of counselling group were conducted for 24,192 participants.
Total case:
3026
Re-offending risks and rehabilitative needs assessments
During the family sports day organised by Cape Collinson Correctional Institution, a series of exciting competitions are held to strengthen the ties between parents and children.
Welfare Support and Counselling
In order to facilitate adjustment of persons in custody to the life under custody, the Rehabilitation Division renders welfare support and counselling to persons in custody and detainees, and helps their families to cope with the difficulties arising from their imprisonment. The main objectives are to address 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 2019, we conducted 170,749 individual counselling sessions and 1,773 pre-release reintegration orientation courses.
Family members of persons in custody are invited to attend the certificate presentation ceremony and Rehabilitation Family Day to witness the learning achievements of persons in custody.
Psychological Services
Targeting offending behaviours by addressing criminogenic needs, psychological services are rendered to enhance the psychological well-being of offenders under custodial care. Using clinical tools, systematic psychological assessments and follow-up are provided. The Division continues to strengthen the psychological treatment programmes targeting offending behaviours for sex offenders, violent offenders, young offenders and drug abusers. “PSY GYM – Personal Growth and Emotion Treatment Centre for Women” and “LIFE GYM – Positive Living Centre for Men” have been set up at Lo Wu Correctional Institution and Stanley Prison respectively to provide psychological treatment programmes for participants to help them develop a positive and healthy lifestyle through addressing their gender-specific psychological needs. The technology of Virtual Reality (VR) is employed to enhance the effectiveness of the treatment.
Electronic games are introduced at “LIFE GYM - Positive Living Centre for Men” to assist persons in custody in receiving psychological treatment.
Clinical psychologists continues to provide young persons in custody with evidence-based treatment programme entitled “Offending Behaviour Programme” to facilitate the development of thinking/ attitude and life skills conducive to rehabilitation as well as to rightly address core criminogenic factors and rehabilitative needs so as to reduce the risk of reoffending. We continue our collaboration with academics and researchers in the study of psychological correlates of youth offending problems to enhance service development and achieve the value of early intervention. In view of the special treatment needs of drug abusers, we will endeavour to develop and enhance psychological services for drug abusers through incorporating the therapeutic use of “mindfulness” into systematic psychological treatment programme for the first time. It aims to help drug abusers to have early awareness of high risk situations and factors (including negative emotions and cravings), encourage them to foster self-compassion attitudes and learn effective coping skills conducive to relapse prevention. We will launch a special pilot treatment programme titled “Mindfulness Place” in Hei Ling Chau Drug Addiction Treatment Centre for participation by male adult drug abusers on a voluntary basis.
In 2019, 28,699 counselling sessions were conducted and 399 assessment reports were prepared. We continued our research in collaboration with renowned academics for professional exchanges on different platforms, including presentation of the research findings and work experience in the 6th World Congress on Positive Psychology held in Melbourne in July 2019 and the International Correctional Mental Health Leadership Network Meeting held in Boston in August 2019.
With the assistance from Education Unit, persons in custody attended the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination with encouraging results.
Education
Higher educational standards will make it easier for persons in custody to reintegrate into society after release. For this reason, CSD provides half-day formal education classes to young persons in custody aged under 21 and offers academic support for adult persons in custody in pursuing continuing education on a voluntary basis. We also encourages persons in custody to attain accredited qualifications by assisting them in sitting for public examinations, such as the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination and the distance learning courses organised by local tertiary institutes including the Open University of Hong Kong. In 2019, a total of 514 public examination papers were taken by persons in custody and the overall passing rate was 62.5%, while 1,206 distance learning courses were completed with a passing rate of 84.7%. To keep pace with the trend of innovation and technology, we also strive to promote STEM education and e-learning in correctional institutions.
Hong Kong Rugby Union provides the Touch Rugby Referee Training Course to young persons in custody to enhance their discipline and foster their team spirit in order to boost their self-confidence and determination to turn over a new leaf.
Persons in custody of different nationalities perform a stick dance on stage to express gratitude to their families at the Certificate Presentation Ceremony in Lo Wu Correctional Institution.
A person in custody shares her learning experience and feelings on the journey towards rehabilitation and thanks her family for their support.
Half-way Houses
Half-way Houses provide residential training and rehabilitation service to those who are placed under Detention Centre, Rehabilitation Centres, Training Centres, Drug Addiction Treatment Centres and other programmes of statutory supervision. Supervisees residing in half-way houses may go out to work or attend school during daytime for better reintegration, discipline and civic awareness. Recreational and social activities are also available in half-way houses.
Statutory Supervision
To facilitate rehabilitated persons’ reintegration into society, the Rehabilitation Division provides statutory supervision and counselling to those released from Detention Centre, Rehabilitation Centres, Training Centres and Drug Addiction Treatment Centres. Supervising staff will visit supervisees’ home and workplace, and help them establish good relationship with their families for mutual respect and support. As at the end of 2019, 1,227 persons were under active statutory supervision.
The Rehabilitation Unit conducts operations to arrest those supervisees violating the supervision conditions.
Rehabilitation Synergistic Partners
The Department works closely with rehabilitation synergistic partners to provide rehabilitation programmes. In 2019, around 100 non-governmental organisations (NGOs)/ charitable organisations/ synergistic partners/ community stakeholders provided counselling and cultural, religious and recreational activities, or were actively involved in the long-term development projects of the Department. In October 2019, correctional facilities under CSD held various activities under the theme of “Thank-you NGO Month” to provide an opportunity for persons in custody to express gratitude towards volunteers of NGOs who have been rendering service support to the Department. In November 2019, we held an NGO Forum in collaboration with the City University of Hong Kong to enhance cooperation with NGOs.
Community Engagement
We have been reaching out to the community to engage the public in 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. The CSD Rehabilitation Volunteer Group (CSDRVG) organises various activities to supplement services in meeting the needs of persons in custody. With around 230 volunteers, the Group organises language courses, computer studies courses and other cultural activities for persons in custody in various correctional institutions. On-going activities promoting offender rehabilitation have been organised since 1999 to establish a bridge between persons in custody and the society. Through activities such as District-based Publicity Activities on Offender Rehabilitation of District Fight Crime Committees, Thank-you NGO Month, NGO Forum and Award Presentation Ceremony for Volunteers of CSDRVG, members of the public can better understand the importance of community acceptance and participation to persons in custody. CSD will continue to collaborate with various employers, business organisations and statutory bodies through institutional visits and other interactions to seek more employment opportunities for rehabilitated persons.
The Department organised the “Correctional Services Chaplains Conference” on 29 October 2019 to explore how to more effectively facilitate rehabilitation of persons in custody through religious activities.
The Committee on Community Support for Rehabilitated Offenders, consists of community leaders and professionals, advises CSD on offender rehabilitation and publicity strategies.
The Drama and Music Performance of “Creation and Rehabilitation” programme enables students to enjoy the drama and music performances presented by persons in custody in Stanley Prison. The programme draws students’ attention to the heavy price for committing crimes and promotes messages on rehabilitation and inclusive values.
The Green Haven Scheme promotes to youngsters anti-drug messages and the importance of environmental protection. Participants are arranged to meet young persons in custody at Hei Ling Chau Addiction Treatment Centre to understand the detrimental effects of drug abuse.
Under the Personal Encounter with Prisoners Scheme, youngsters are arranged to visit correctional institutions and meet with persons in custody to enhance their anti-crime awareness.
Visits to Hong Kong Correctional Services Museum enhance participants’ understanding of the development of correctional services. Public support is particularly important for persons in custody and rehabilitated offenders.
The Reflective Path aims at enhancing students’ understanding of the criminal judicial system and correctional services in Hong Kong, as well as the heavy cost for committing crimes through the simulation of the real situations including arrest, trial, detention, training and release.
Rehabilitation Pioneer Project
The Rehabilitation Pioneer Project continues to disseminate to secondary students and the public the messages of leading a law-abiding and drug-free life as well as supporting offender rehabilitation through 10 major community education activities. Among them, the Rehabilitation Pioneer Leaders (RPLs) continues to offer diversified training to members since its establishment in 2018. RPLs went to Beijing for a four-day and three-night exchange tour in July. During the tour, they visited the Ministry of Justice, and representatives were selected to introduce the group to the management of Bureau of Prison Administration. They also visited a juvenile correctional facility in Beijing to understand more about the correctional system in the Mainland. The tour broadened their horizons.
The interactive musical drama “Own Your Life” is a large-scale event straddling 2019 and 2020.
Interactive musical drama “Own Your Life” is a major event straddling 2019 and 2020. After the kick-off show held in October 2019, a series of musical drama shows and workshops were held in different secondary schools. The finale mega show will be held in October 2020, in which an interactive musical drama adapted from the true story of a person in custody will be performed. A number of familiar pop songs will be incorporated in the drama, and students will be invited to express their opinions on-site which will affect the development of the drama. Finally, a rehabilitated person will be arranged to conduct experience sharing with students to engage them in deeper reflection. Thus, the effectiveness of community education can be further enhanced.
The Extended Training Camp under the Rehabilitation Pioneer Project (RPP) provides a series of discipline training aiming at enhancing participants’ confidence and developing their positive values.
Trainees of the “Rehabilitation Pioneer Leaders” joined the CSD delegation to visit the Ministry of Justice in Beijing in July 2019. Participants learned about the criminal justice system in the Mainland from different perspectives. The representatives also shared with senior officials of the Ministry of Justice the comprehensive training programmes of the “Rehabilitation Pioneer Leaders” and their learning experience.
The RPP Education Talks provide basic information on Hong Kong’s criminal justice system and CSD’s custodial management and rehabilitative programmes.
“Shall We Talk” and“Café Rehapuccino”
“Shall We Talk” is one of the major rehabilitation programmes introduced since 2011. Young persons in custody participating in the programme are provided with training in communication, basic audio broadcasting and editing. In 2019, “Shall We Talk” took one step further to become a video broadcasting programme in which young persons in custody conducted interviews with people from all walks of life, such as professionals and life role models, to discuss various issues. Throughout the training, young persons in custody can build up self-confidence as well as achieving self-reflection and personal growth. The programmes will also be broadcasted in other institutions which serve as platforms of mutual support and encouragement for young persons in custody.
“Café Rehapuccino” provides young persons in custody with catering training programmes. Through the training, young persons in custody not only acquire basic vocational skills, but also attain certain accredited qualifications such as International Award in Barista Skills, Basic Coffee Making and Latte Art Training Certificate, Basic Bakery, Pastry Training Certificate, etc. Besides, with the application of innovation and technology such as the smart home system for lighting control and e-sales system for food ordering and accounting, they can acquire up-to-date vocational skills which are beneficial to their smooth reintegration into society.
Café Rehapuccino and the “Shall We Talk” broadcasting programme provide training to young persons in custody to broaden their horizons.
