XN000022-1993-02-27 — Page 9

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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 1993

APPEAL FOR VOLUNTEERS TO HELP PROBATIONERS

MRS

LESLIE

THE ACTING ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL WELFARE, TODAY (SATURDAY) APPEALED ΤΟ MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ΤΟ PARTICIPATE IN THE VOLUNTEERS SCHEME FOR PROBATIONERS (VSP).

HUNG,

SPEAKING AT THE CERTIFICATE PRESENTATION CEREMONY OF THE VSP, MRS HUNG SAID THE SCHEME WAS A COMPLEMENTARY SERVICE ΤΟ PROMOTE AWARENESS AND PARTICIPATION OF THE PUBLIC IN HELPING OFFENDERS.

"OVER 400 VOLUNTEERS HAD PARTICIPATED IN THE SCHEME SINCE ITS INCEPTION IN 1976. SUCH A FIGURE, THOUGH NOT VERY GREAT AS IT MIGHT SOUND, REPRESENTED A SOLID SUPPORT FROM THE COMMUNITY, MRS HUNG SAID.

'IN ORDER TO GET MORE INTERESTED MEMBERS IN THE COMMUNITY ΤΟ JOIN HANDS WITH US IN OUR WORK, THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE SCHEME HAS SINCE LAST YEAR BEEN READY ΤΟ RECRUIT SUITABLE AND INTERESTED PEOPLE INTO THE SCHEME AT ANY TIME OF THE YEAR APART FROM THE ANNUAL RECRUITMENT EXERCISE, SHE SAID.

It

MR JUSTICE ΤΟ OFFENDERS

ALSO SPEAKING AT THE CEREMONY, A HIGH COURT JUDGE, MICHAEL WONG, SAID ACCEPTANCE AND SUPPORT BY THE PUBLIC WERE CERTAINLY NEEDED TO SUCCESSFULLY PROMOTE THE CONCEPT OF COMMUNITY-BASED TREATMENT FOR REHABILITATION OF OFFENDERS.

"THE COMMUNITY SERVICE ORDERS SCHEME, A COMPARATIVELY NEW SERVICE PROVIDED BY SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT, IS A COMMUNITY-BASED TREATMENT OPTION FOR OFFENDERS, HE SAID.

UNDER THIS SCHEME, THE COURTS MAY ORDER AN OFFENDER OF 14 YEARS OF AGE OR ABOVE WHO IS CONVICTED OF AN OFFENCE PUNISHABLE BY IMPRISONMENT, TO PERFORM A CERTAIN NUMBER OF HOURS OF COMMUNITY WORK.

"BY DOING UNPAID WORK, AN OFFENDER IS GIVEN AN OPPORTUNITY TO RIGHT A WRONG TO THE COMMUNITY TO WHICH HE HAD CAUSED DAMAGED TO AND TO EFFECT A CHANGE IN HIS ATTITUDE TOWARDS SOCIETY AND LIFE THROUGH CONTACTS WITH OTHER DISADVANTAGED PERSONS IN SOCIETY," HE SAID.

MR JUSTICE WONG AND MRS HUNG PRESENTED CERTIFICATES TO 48 VOLUNTEERS IN APPRECIATION OF THEIR DEDICATED SERVICE IN THE REHABILITATION OF OFFENDERS.

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