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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1974
MORE PRISONS BEING PLANNED TO EASE OVERCROWDING
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PLANS ARE IN HAND FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF MORE PRISON INSTITUTIONS AND THE REBUILDING OF STANLEY PRISON TO COPE WITH THE RISING PRISON POPULATION, THE GOVERNOR, SIR MURRAY MACLEHOSE, TOLD THE NEW SESSION OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY.
HE SAID TWO NEW INSTITUTIONS AT PIK UK IN THE NEW . TERRITORIES WOULD BE COMPLETED WITHIN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS AND THEY WOULD HELP TO EASE OVERCROWDING IN EXISTING PRISONS.
ALTHOUGH OTHER PROJECTS, INCLUDING A NEW MAXIMUM SECURITY PRISON, WOULD EVENTUALLY ACCOMMODATE ABOUT 3,000 OFFENDERS, IT WOULD BE SOME TIME BEFORE THESE ARE COMPLETED, HE SAID.
+WE ARE THEREFORE LOOKING FOR OTHER TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION WHICH COULD BE USED TO SOLVE THE IMMEDIATE PROBLEM OF OVERCROWDING, WITH ITS ATTENDANT RISK OF DISORDER.+
THE GOVERNOR ATTRIBUTED THE MARKED INCREASE IN THE PRISON POPULATION TO INCREASED CRIME, MORE VIGOROUS MEASURES TO COMBAT IT, MORE PRECAUTIONS AND THE LONGER SENTENCE BEING IMPOSED.
HE POINTED OUT THAT THE TOTAL NUMBER OF INMATES IN ALL. TYPES OF INSTITUTIONS UP TO THE END OF LAST MONTH WAS ABOUT 7,600 AS COMPARED WITH 6,400 THE SAME TIME LAST YEAR.
REFERRING TO THE DETENTION CENTRES, SIR MURRAY SAID THEY HAD NOW COMPLETED THEIR FIRST TWO YEARS AND THE SYSTEM WA: BEING EVALUATED.
+THE PRELIMINARY CONCLUSION IS THAT THEY HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL AND REPAID THE IMMENSE AMOUNT OF CARE AND EFFORT PUT INTO THEM BY THE PRISONS DEPARTMENT. SO FAR, ONLY ABOUT
10 PER CENT OF THOSE WHO HAVE PASSED THROUGH THEM HAVE BEEN" RECONVICTED.
+W CAN BE SATISFIED THAT OUR PRISONS DEPARTMENT IS HAKING CONSTRUCTIVE AND REASONABLY SUCCESSFUL PROCRESS IN THEIR PROBLEM OF DEALING WITH THE YOUNG OFFENDER WHO IS NOT YET A HARDENED CRIMINAL,+ HE SAID.
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