CSD 2020 Annual Review

|  Youth Network |  Reaching out to the Community |  Walk with YOUth Programme | 

 

Youth Network

Public acceptance of and support for rehabilitated offenders could help them break the vicious cycle of reoffending, thereby building a safer and more inclusive society. To this end, public education is indispensable.

In recent years, the Department has proactively extended its reach beyond the prison walls by reaching out to the community. Through 10 activities under the “Rehabilitation Pioneer Project” (RPP), the Department disseminates to young people the messages of leading a law-abiding and drug-free life as well as supporting offender rehabilitation. The Department seeks to reduce crime at source by organising a wide range of activities for the promotion of offender rehabilitation in different sectors to appeal for public support and participation.

The target participants of the RPP include general students and youngsters. A youth uniformed group “Rehabilitation Pioneer Leaders” (RPLs) has also been established to nurture young leaders, so that they can assist the Department in promoting law-abiding and inclusive values as well as soliciting support for offender rehabilitation in the community. Following the addition of two sub-groups “Island District” and “Kowloon and the New Territories District” in 2019, the Department expanded the original establishment of RPL in 2020 by creating two additional District Directors and one Leader, with a view to providing more diversified and systematic training to attract more youngsters to join. In 2020, in order to prevent the further spread of COVID-19, all schools in Hong Kong were suspended. During such period, the Department launched an interview series named “RPL chit-chat”, which invited professionals and celebrities from different sectors to share with RPL trainees the importance of life planning and the highlights of different sectors through the web conferencing platform, with a view to achieving the goal of “suspending classes without suspending learning”. At the same time, the “Training on the Operation of Online Channel” was launched under which RPL trainees uploaded videos of interviews produced by them onto social media and disseminated crime prevention and anti-epidemic messages. Participants can obtain training in running an online platform and become “KOLs”, so that they can better understand this emerging industry.

To further enhance the effectiveness of community education, the RPP co-organised with the Care of Rehabilitated Offenders Association a brand-new adventure-based educational programme named “Mission in Prison” (MIP). The programme is based on the escape room approach, incorporated with elements of role-playing, problem-solving and team-building, as well as the concept of smart prison, turning a real prison into a unique “classroom”. Acting as correctional officers, participants are required to accomplish a variety of problem-solving tasks and carry out a series of investigations, so that they can better understand the actual duties of correctional officers. After the trial run, the MIP has opened for applications by school organisations and teams formed by individual students at the beginning of 2021. More community stakeholders and schools will also be invited to participate in the programme.

Reaching out to the Community

Apart from facilitating offender rehabilitation, the Department has been making its best endeavours to reach out to the community, both in depth and breadth, with a view to enhancing the public understanding of the Department and soliciting community support for persons in custody. For example, major government officials and prominent community leaders are invited to visit correctional institutions and share with the persons in custody from time to time. Through visitors’ sharing of their personal experience, blessings and encouragement, persons in custody could feel supported by the community, which would reinforce their determination to repent and turn over a new leaf.

The Public Relations Unit (PRU) disseminates the information about different programmes implemented by the Department to the media, and enables the public to obtain a better understanding of the institutions and the daily duties of correctional officers through media visits and interviews. Besides, the PRU is responsible for the timely update of the departmental promotional videos, the compilation of the Annual Review of the Department and the publication of the departmental monthly newsletter, The Guardian, to enable the general public to obtain the latest information of the Department.

In addition, established in 2018, the Media Communication Unit (MCU) has produced a large number of short videos using novel shooting methods and basing on innovative story outlines, to enhance public understanding of correctional work and promote rehabilitative messages and positive values to the young people and the community. Some of these videos have won several awards.

Apart from producing videos, the Department has been proactively exploring the use of different media platforms in recent years to publicise the work of the Department to members of the public, especially the young people. At the end of 2020, an official Facebook page was set up to disseminate the latest and correct information about the Department to the public in a more timely and effective manner.

Walk with YOUth Programme

The CSD and the Hong Kong Police Force jointly organised the “Walk with YOUth Programme”. Capitalising on the valuable experience and unique strengths of both departments in crime prevention and offender rehabilitation, volunteers from the CSD and the Police work hand in hand to organise rehabilitation activities for young persons in custody to help them establish correct values and rebuild a positive life, thereby enhancing the anti-crime awareness among young people in society and reducing the recidivism rate.