Community Education | Correctional Services Department 2021 Annual Review

Community Education

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 CSD has been proactively extending its reach to the community beyond the prison walls. Through 11 programmes under the Rehabilitation Pioneer Project (RPP), namely Education Talks, Personal Encounter with Prisoners Scheme, Green Haven Scheme, Visits to Hong Kong Correctional Services Museum, Student Forum, Extended Training Camp, Drama and Music Performance of “Creation and Rehabilitation”, The Reflective Path, Summer Tour, Mission in Prison and Rehabilitation Pioneer Leaders (RPLs), 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 has also organised activities promoting offender rehabilitation in different areas to appeal for public support and participation, with a view to reducing crime at its roots.

Although some community education activities had to be suspended due to the COVID-19 epidemic, the Department continued to foster law-abiding awareness among students and young people by replacing on-site education talks with online ones on social media platforms, thereby achieving the goal of “suspending classes without suspending learning”.

Rehabilitation Pioneer Leaders

The target participants of the RPP include ordinary students and young people. As such, the Department has established the RPLs, a youth uniformed group, to nurture young leaders, so that they could assist the Department in promoting law-abiding and inclusive values as well as soliciting support for offender rehabilitation in the community. Despite the epidemic situation, the Department launched the fourth RPL recruitment exercise. Before the epidemic, apart from vigorously promoting RPLs during different activities held in schools under the RPP, the Department had also organised the “Rehabilitation Pioneer Leader Experience Day” in different schools, during which students could experience the training modes and understand the values of the RPL through various activities, so as to enhance their awareness of crime prevention. The fourth RPL recruitment exercise received an overwhelming response from students. Although only online interviews could be conducted, students’ participation in and support for the RPL were in no way dampened. In the end, 69 trainees were recruited during the fourth recruitment exercise, bringing the total number of RPL trainees to 174.

Moreover, in order to enhance RPL trainees’ knowledge of national education and their sense of national identity, Chinese-style foot drill and flag-raising training have been included in the training for RPLs. Various training activities could not only enhance trainees’ sense of discipline and strengthen their team spirit, but also help nurture them into a new generation with a sense of national identity, knowledge about their motherland and affection for Hong Kong.

RPL trainees receive training in Chinese-style foot drill.

During the year, more than 120 trainees from the Staff Training Institute (STI) and the RPL, led by the then Commissioner of Correctional Services Mr Woo Ying-ming, visited the PLA Hong Kong Garrison Exhibition Center. Through the exchange with the PLA Hong Kong Garrison, participants obtained a better understanding of the history, development milestones and the latest development of the motherland, and enhanced their sense of national identity.

More than 120 trainees from the STI and RPL, led by the then Commissioner of Correctional Services, Mr Woo Ying-ming, visit the PLA Hong Kong Garrison Exhibition Center.

To complement the diversified training for RPL trainees and facilitate their whole-person development, all RPL trainees would be arranged to participate in the Hong Kong Award for Young People (AYP), under which RPL trainees need to contact their instructors on their own initiative, complete the training for each section, and coordinate the participation of other trainees so as to strengthen their initiative, learning motivation and sense of commitment. As at the end of 2021, 17 RPL trainees completed the bronze level training and were encouraged by their instructors to keep pushing themselves further to reach the Silver and Gold Award Levels.

In addition, the RPL trainees accepted several media interviews in 2021, during which they shared their training and development experiences, and disseminated to the public and young people the messages of leading a law-abiding life, promoting inclusiveness as well as supporting offender rehabilitation.

RPLs attend a media interview.

RPL representatives win the second runner-up in “‘The Century-Long March’ Quiz Competition for Youth Uniformed Groups in Hong Kong”.

Finale Mega Show of “Own Your Life”

The CSD has been collaborating with stakeholders from various sectors to create rehabilitation opportunities for persons in custody, and promote law-abiding awareness, crime prevention as well as inclusive values through community education. To further enhance the effectiveness of community education, the RPP of the CSD and the Chinese Manufacturers’ Association of Hong Kong (CMA) jointly organised an interactive musical drama campaign “Own Your Life” in 2019, which was comprised of a kick-off show, workshops, and a finale mega show. The kick-off show was launched in October 2019 while the workshops were postponed to May 2021 after school resumption in light of the epidemic development. The workshops included 27 sessions of a roving show held at different schools, which were attended by around 7 000 students. Nineteen student actors who love performing in dramas were recruited.

The finale mega show of “Own Your Life” was held at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium on 22 October 2021, which was officiated by the Financial Secretary Mr Paul Chan and attended by around 1 600 students, teachers and guests.

(From left) The then Commissioner of Correctional Services, Mr Woo Ying-ming, Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung, Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, and CMA President, Dr Allen Shi, officiate at the opening ceremony of the “Own Your Life” Finale Mega Show.

Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung, shares his views and thoughts as a parent in the Finale Mega Show.

A rehabilitated person attends a sharing session, whose parents show up to support him.

“Mission in Prison”

To further enhance the effectiveness of community education, the RPP has co-organised with the Care of Rehabilitated Offenders Association (CROA) a brand-new adventure-based educational programme named “Mission in Prison” (MIP). The programme, based on the escape room approach, integrates 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”. Playing the role as correctional officers, participants are required to accomplish a variety of problem-solving tasks and carry out a series of investigations, through which they could obtain a better understanding of the actual duties of correctional officers. The MIP was officially launched in January 2021. An overwhelming response was received from secondary students, tertiary students and different youth groups. With the gradual resumption of face-to-face classes in all schools in Hong Kong in mid-2021, the number of the MIP participants via schools and organisations has been increasing.

The MIP is officially launched as the 11th community education programme. President of the CROA, Mr Wong Kin-keung, the then Secretary for Security, Mr John Lee, and the then Commissioner of Correctional Services, Mr Woo Ying-ming, officiate at the opening ceremony of the MIP.

Playing the role as a correctional officer, a participant of the MIP accomplishes the missions with the use of smart applications in mobile tablets. The concept of smart prison is incorporated into various challenges to enable participants to have more complex experiences in problem-solving and enhance their understanding of the development of the CSD.

Project J Ethnic Minority Students Award Scheme

In order to further strengthen community education and promote racial harmony, the RPP and the Hong Kong Justice of the Peace Association (HKJPA) have co-organised a new project named “Project J Ethnic Minority Students Award Scheme”. Under the project, ethnic minority participants are recruited through nomination by schools and non-governmental organisations. Participants will be arranged to participate in various activities under the RPP to help them develop positive values and a sense of social responsibility, so that they could become law-abiding citizens and help spread the messages of law-abidingness and community inclusiveness to their schools and communities. At the same time, the project also deepens young people’s understanding of the professional work of the CSD. The kick-off ceremony of the project was held on 1 August 2021 in the form of Hockey Fun Day, which marked the launch of this community education programme. Nominated students will be arranged to participate in different activities under the RPP within a year in a bid to cultivate discipline among them, broaden their horizons and develop their potential, so that they could help promote the messages of “leading a law-abiding and drug-free life as well as supporting offender rehabilitation” and the concept of community inclusiveness for a better Hong Kong.

The then Deputy Commissioner of Correctional Services, Mr Wong Kwok-hing (middle left), and President of the HKJPA, Mr Yim Yuk-lun (middle right), officiate at the kick-off ceremony of the “Project J”.

Anti-drug Promotional Videos

In view of the rising number of young drug addicts, the Department proactively utilises online social media platforms with multi-media videos, i.e. the anti-drug series “After Drug”, produced in an interesting and innovative way for broadcasting on social media platforms. These videos feature the drugs commonly abused by young people nowadays and introduce the difference between Cannabidiol (CBD) and Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) so as to remind young people of the harmful effects of drugs.

An anti-drug video series is produced under the RPP for broadcasting on social media platforms to disseminate to members of the public the message of leading a drug-free life.