PUBLIC ORDER
All suitable inmates may obtain accreditation by way of public examinations held by the City and Guilds International, Pitman or the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry. There are also courses which allow inmates to obtain recognised qualifications by taking trade tests conducted by the Vocational Training Council or the Construction Industry Training Authority.
A Prisoners' Education Trust Fund set up with charitable donations in 1995 provides financial assistance to prisoners in educational pursuits, in the form of grants to cover course or examination fees, and expenses regarding reference books.
For those who wish to continue their vocational training after release, the department makes referrals for suitable inmates to further their training in other training institutions such as the Vocational Training Council and the Construction Industry Training Authority.
Correctional Services Industries
Employment keeps all convicted inmates, unless they are physically unfit, purposefully and gainfully occupied, thus reducing the risk of unrest due to boredom and lack of meaningful activities. It also helps inmates develop a work habit.
In 1999, a daily average of about 6 700 inmates were engaged in industrial work. Workshops in penal institutions provide a wide range of goods and services mainly for government departments and public organisations. Examples are government furniture, staff uniforms, hospital linen, litter containers, mailboxes, traffic signs, paving slabs and kerbs for highways and infrastructure projects. Inmates also provide laundry services for the Hospital Authority, the Department of Health and the Fire Services Department. They also bind books for public libraries, undertake printing work and make envelopes for government departments.
Production and services provided by Correctional Services Industries in 1999 were equivalent to $467 million in commercial value.
Prisoners' Welfare Services
Prisoners' Welfare Officers in the CSD look after the welfare of detainees and prisoners, who are not subject to statutory after-care supervision. They provide assistance and guidance to detainees and prisoners in solving personal problems and difficulties arising from detention or imprisonment. Apart from conducting individual and group counselling sessions, Prisoners' Welfare Officers organise activities such as Pre-release Reintegration Orientation courses and meetings with family members of prisoners with the aim of helping inmates to reintegrate smoothly into society upon release and supplying them with information on community
resources.
Drug Addiction Treatment
The drug addiction treatment programme aims to detoxify, restore physical health and, through the application of therapeutic and rehabilitative treatment, wean addicts from their dependence on drugs. Assistance is also given to inmates with post- release employment and accommodation problems.
Drug addicts may be detained in a drug addiction treatment centre from two to 12 months, depending on their progress. In-centre treatment is followed by 12 months of statutory after-care supervision.
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