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improvements to lighting and plumbing have improved them as far as is possible, pending the construction of a new prison. Laichikok Prison, situated on the fringe of urban Kowloon, accommodates up to 240 women prisoners. The good management and cheerful atmosphere of the Prison are frequently commented on by Prison Visitors. The entire staff are locally recruited. First-offenders live in association, with well-equipped sleeping cubicles, and attend language and handicraft classes after working hours. 1,559 women were received, the daily average number of occupants being 98.
Stanley Training Centre takes boys between the ages of 14 and 21. Legal proceedings governing acceptance are based on the Borstal section of the Criminal Justice Act 1948, adapted to suit local conditions. Particular attention is given to education and vocational training, and there has been some success in finding employment for inmates on release from the Centre. 39 boys were accepted during the year, the daily average being 111.
Tung Tau Wan Training Centre, a second institution of the same kind, was opened in February, and 52 boys had been accepted up to the end of the year. There is accommoda- tion for 80.
An After-Care Officer was appointed to the Prisons staff in November, and after in-service training he will be responsible for all boys released from the Training Centres. After-care of adult prisoners is in the hands of the Salvation Army and the Family Welfare Society.
The staff of the Prisons Department consists of 9 gazetted officers, 445 other ranks, and 109 others, including school- masters, instructors, clerks, storekeepers and mechanics.
RECORDS
The Registrar-General's Department, situated in the Supreme Court building, comprises the Land Office, the Registries of Marriages, Companies, and Trade Marks and Patents, and the Offices of the Official Receiver in Bankruptcy and Companies Winding Up, the Official Trustee, the Judicial Trustee, and the Official Solicitor in Lunacy.
Land
The principal function of the Land Office is the registra- tion of all instruments affecting land in Hong Kong, Kowloon