PUBLIC ORDER
A total of 2 814 departmental quarters are provided for fire and ambulance personnel. An additional 1 018 quarters are expected to be ready in two years' time.
Correctional Services
The Correctional Services Department administers a wide range of services for both adult and young offenders, drug addicts and the criminally insane. These fall broadly under two programme areas -- prison management and re-integration. The department also manages detention centres for Vietnamese migrants and ex-China Vietnamese illegal immigrants.
At the year's end, the department was managing 20 correctional institutions, three halfway houses, a staff training institute, an emergency support group, two custodial wards (one each at the Queen Mary Hospital and Queen Elizabeth Hospital), and four detention centres for Vietnamese migrants. A total of 7 201 staff were looking after 12 367 inmates, 15 375 Vietnamese migrants, 398 ex-China Vietnamese illegal immigrants, and 3 384 persons under supervision after discharge from custody.
During the year, the number of Vietnamese migrants continued to decrease as a consequence of the implementation of the Orderly Return Programme. The workload of the department in managing Vietnamese migrants, however, remained heavy. This was due to its taking over the management of two Voluntary Repatriation Departure Centres from the police, and the influx of the ex-China Vietnamese illegal immigrants in mid-1993.
A new motor launch, Seaward, was put into operation, replacing the old launch which had been in use for 19 years. The Seaward, with a carrying capacity of up to 60 persons, has greatly enhanced the effectiveness and efficiency of the Emergency Support Group responsible for escort duties. In addition to providing an escort service, the group is also responsible for providing back-up emergency support services to all institutions.
Male Offenders
Prisoners are assigned to institutions according to their security rating, which takes into account, among other things, the risk they pose to the community and whether or not they are first-offenders.
There are 12 prisons for adult male prisoners. The four maximum security prisons are Stanley Prison, Shek Pik Prison, Siu Lam Psychiatric Centre and Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre.
There are four prisons of medium security: Ma Po Ping Prison, Tung Tau Correctional Institution, Victoria Prison and Hei Ling Chau Correctional Institution. The remaining four prisons, of minimum security, are Tai Lam Correctional Institution, Pik Uk Prison, Tong Fuk Centre and Ma Hang Prison.
Stanley Prison and Shek Pik Prison house prisoners serving long sentences or life imprisonment. The Siu Lam Psychiatric Centre accommodates the criminally insane and those requiring psychiatric treatment. Adult males awaiting trial, or remanded in custody during court hearings, are detained at the Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre, which also has a separate section for male civil debtors. Victoria Prison houses illegal immigrants pending their repatriation to China, while a special section at Ma Hang Prison has been set aside for elderly prisoners. Adult prisoners released under the Pre-release Employment Scheme are provided with accommodation at Phoenix House, a halfway house for adult and young offenders.
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