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PUBLIC ORDER
All male prisoners are received at Victoria Reception Centre in central Hong Kong, easily accessible to most of the Law Courts. Here all convicted prisoners undergo a thorough medical examination and appear before a classification board to determine to which institution they will be sent, taking into account such factors as physical and mental fitness, type of offence, length of sentence and past history.
Stanley Prison, in the south-east of Hong Kong Island, is the largest security institution and caters for both first offenders and others serving long sentences or requiring maximum security. Originally built in 1936 to accommodate some 1,600 prisoners the average daily muster in 1973 was 3,872. Prisoners are employed in such industries as tailoring, carpentry, shoemaking, basketwork, silk screening, fibreglass moulding and laundry work under qualified technical instructors. An outside annexe accommodates 80 prisoners serving sentences of under one year who, after classifica- tion, are found to be suitable for minimum security conditions. These prisoners are employed on general maintenance work outside the prison, but within the area of the annex.
Chi Ma Wan Prison is a minimum security institution situated on the island of Lantau and caters for certain categories of prisoners serving sentences of under three years, mostly first offenders. The minimum security institution has a much greater potential for successfully rehabilitating prisoners than the closed prison, and it considerably eases their re-integration into society. Work which may be carried out far from the institution, is always of a constructive nature, afforestation, drainage, building and road works. This work is planned in co-operation with the New Ter- ritories Administration. Besides giving the prisoners pride of achievement it greatly benefits the local population.
Siu Lam Psychiatric Centre is situated near Castle Peak in the New Territories. Opened in 1972 it provides accommodation for 120 male patients, is manned by trained staff with a consultant psychiatrist and contains up-to-date facilities for dealing with offenders who require psychiatric care.
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The Tai Lam Centre for Women is also situated near Castle Peak in the New Territories and caters for remand and convicted women prisoners, the treatment of convicted female prisoners found to be drug addicts and the training and reha- bilitation of young female offenders between the ages of 14 and 21. Owing to the pressure on accommodation for the harder type of young male offender the women in this centre will soon be moved to a temporary location at Ma Hang on Stanley Peninsula, and the present institution will be modified to take only young male offenders.
Training and Detention Centres
These centres provide an alternative to imprisonment for convicted young offenders between the ages of 14 and 21. There are four training centres for males located at Cape Collinson, Tai Tam Gap, Chatham Road, and Victoria, altogether accommodating during 1973 a daily average of 958. The inmates of the Stanley Training Centre were moved to Chatham Road Training Centre in June 1973 making