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who are serving a sentence of two years or more, and are within six months of completing their sentence after taking into consideration remission, may apply for release. If their applications are successful, they then work and reside in a designated hostel under the supervision of after-care officers for the balance of their sentence. The aim of the scheme is to enable suitable, eligible and motivated prisoners to serve their sentence in an open environment under close supervision. Prisoners who breach supervision conditions may be recalled to serve the remainder of their sentence. Since the implementation of the two schemes in July 1988, a total of 213 applications for the Release Under Super- vision Scheme and 600 for the Pre-release Employment Scheme were received. Thirteen prisoners were released by the Governor under the Release Under Supervision Scheme and 75 under the Pre-release Employment Scheme upon the advice of the Release Under Supervision Board.
Correctional Services Industries
Correctional Services Industries aim to keep prisoners and inmates gainfully employed, thereby reducing the risk of unrest through boredom and lack of constructive activities. The industries also help to reduce government expenditure by providing products and services to government departments and generate revenue through its business with the subvented organisations and private companies.
Prisoners are paid for their work and they can make use of their earnings to purchase food extras and other canteen items approved by the management. More importantly, they acquire the habit of useful work through participation in industrial production, eventually helping them to find a job after release.
The industries run a number of trades, the largest being laundry and garment making. The other trades available include silkscreening, printing, envelope making, bookbinding, shoe-making, fibreglass work, metal work, leather work, precast concrete and carpentry. The commercial value of goods and services provided for the year is estimated to be $290 million.
Detention Centres
The award of automatic refugee status to Vietnamese people reaching Hong Kong discontinued following a change in policy on June 16, 1988. In May 1990, the department ceased to be responsible for managing closed centres for refugees, a task first undertaken in July 1982.
The department now manages six centres for Vietnamese illegal immigrants. They include the detention centres at Chi Ma Wan, Hei Ling Chau, Nei Kwu Chau, Whitehead and High Island, and a reception centre at Green Island.
Under the existing policy, Vietnamese people arriving in Hong Kong will be screened by immigration officers while being held in detention centres to determine their status. Those screened in as refugees are transferred to open centres, while those screened out will remain in the detention centres until arrangements can be made for their repatriation. Any person who has been screened out may appeal to a Refugee Status Review Board which has the power to overturn that decision.
Voluntary agencies, co-ordinated by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), continue to provide valuable services in detention centres, com- plementing those provided by the department.
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