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convicted women prisoners found to be drug-dependent, and for young women between the ages of 14 and 21.
The new centre replaced the outmoded Lai Chi Kok Women's Prison which is now being used as a remand and recall centre for young male offenders between the ages of 14 and 21.
On conviction young male offenders are housed under open conditions at the training centres or at Chi Ma Wan Prison. There is a thorough, and highly successful, system of statutory after-care for young men released from training centres and all are found employment before release. They then remain in the care of their after-care officers for a period which may be as long as four years from the date of sentence. The training centres had an average inmate population of 825 at the end of 1969.
The open prison system is used whenever possible in Hong Kong as experience has shown that an environment where prisoners lead healthy outdoor lives doing constructive work leads to more successful rehabilitation. Open prisons, with an average popula- tion of 1,767, are situated on Lantau Island in the New Territories and an immense amount of useful work has been done by prisoners on forestry and minor construction projects.
The location and working of large numbers of prisoners and inmates in open conditions has its attendant escape risks and there has been an increase in escapes this year. There were 97 escapes during the year compared with the previous years' total of 40. However 73 were recaptured by the end of the year. A 12 per cent increase in prisoner/inmate population has been a contributing factor together with a new trend in group escapes.
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Those prisoners not considered suitable for open institutions are confined in Stanley Prison which is the Colony's main security establishment with an average daily population of some 2,524 inmates. This prison is also the main industrial centre where productive industries such as tailoring, shoemaking and rattanware are concentrated.
A large percentage of convicted male prisoners are found on admission to be drug-dependent. The addiction treatment centre at Tai Lam offers special treatment facilities for drug-dependents