15
Public Order
Education
Offenders under 21 can receive education and are encouraged to take part in both local and overseas accredited public examinations. Adults in custody are also encouraged to take part in self-study courses or tertiary-level distance learning programmes offered by external accredited educational organisations. Those pursuing further studies may apply for financial help from the Prisoners' Education Trust Fund and other education subsidy schemes.
Vocational Training
To help young offenders reintegrate into society as law-abiding citizens, the CSD provides half- day vocational training programmes for those under 21 years of age to acquire job skills, obtain accreditation and develop work habits. The department provides eligible adult offenders' wishing to take part in the programmes with pre-release vocational courses. Full-time and part- time courses are offered at 11 correctional facilities.
Correctional Services Industries
The department provides work for adult offenders as required by law to keep them gainfully employed and to help them develop good working habits, a sense of responsibility and self- confidence. Through the training received at work, they can also acquire work skills to facilitate their reintegration into society.
In 2015, a daily average of 4,244 people were engaged in productive work, providing government departments and subvented bodies with a wide range of goods and services. These include office furniture, uniforms, leather products, hospital linen, filter masks, fibreglass litter containers, traffic signs, precast concrete products and metal products, laundry services for hospitals and clinics, book binding for public libraries, printing work, file jackets and envelopes. The market value of these goods and services provided by the department was $439.9 million in 2015.
Welfare and Counselling
Rehabilitation officers look after the welfare of persons in custody and help them deal with personal problems arising from their detention or imprisonment. The officers provide individual and group counselling and help run rehabilitation programmes such as pre-release reintegration orientation courses, make arrangements for the persons in custody to meet their family members and supply them with information on community resources.
Drug Addiction Treatment
The department runs a compulsory treatment programme for convicted drug addicts that serves as an alternative to imprisonment. Addicts aged between 14 and 20 are accommodated separately from the adults, but the length of treatment is the same, ranging from two to 12 months of in-centre treatment followed by one year of statutory supervision.
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'Eligible adult offender' means an adult offender who is allowed to be employed or work and is not subject to any condition of stay in Hong Kong after discharge.
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