XN000022-1994-07-29 — Page 21

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FRIDAY, JULY 29, 1994

DEMANDING AND CHALLENGING JOB OF CSD

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A MEMBER OF THE FIGHT CRIME COMMITTEE, MR JUSTEIN WONG, TODAY (FRIDAY) DESCRIBED THE WORK OF A CORRECTIONAL SERVICES OFFICER AS 'A DEMANDING AND CHALLENGING" ONE.

SPEAKING AT A PASSING-OUT PARADE AT THE CORRECTIONAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT'S (CSD) STAFF TRAINING INSTITUTE IN STANLEY THIS AFTERNOON, MR WONG SAID THE COMMON PERCEPTION OF CORRECTIONAL SERVICES ONLY RELATED TO THE CUSTODY OF OFFENDERS; HOWEVER, THE SERVICES HAD ALREADY EXTENDED WELL BEYOND PUTTING OFFENDERS BEHIND BARS.

A

"I AM AWARE THAT THE DEPARTMENT HAS, OVER THE YEARS, DEVELOPED COMPREHENSIVE RANGE OF CORRECTIONAL PROGRAMMES CATERING FOR DIFFERENT TYPES OF INMATES, WITH THE ULTIMATE OBJECTIVE OF RE- INTERGRATING THEM INTO THE COMMUNITY AS LAW-ABIDING CITIZENS.

"COMPONENTS OF THE PROGRAMMES RANGE FROM PRE-SENTENCE

TREATMENT, TO POST-RELEASE

ASSESSMENT, IN-CENTRE SUPERVISION, HE SAID.

ர

GUIDANCE

AND

HE POINTED OUT THAT THE SUCCESS OF THESE PROGRAMMES WAS DEMONSTRATED BY STATISTICS WHICH SHOWED THAT A GREAT MAJORITY OF INMATES RELEASED AFTER TREATMENT REMAINED CRIME AND DRUG FREE THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD OF AFTER-CARE SUPERVISION.

THE

HE SAID THE FIGHT CRIME COMMITTEE HAD LONG ADVOCATED SETTING OF A POST RELEASE SUPERVISION SCHEME THROUGH WHICH CARE AND CONTROL COULD BE EXTENDED TO ADULT PRISONERS UPON THEIR RELEASE.

"I AM PLEASED TO NOTE THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAS TAKEN ACTIVE STEPS TO SEEK FUNDS AND INTRODUCE LEGISLATION FOR THE

THIS SCHEME," HE NOTED.

OF

"THE JOB OF A CORRECTIONAL CHALLENGING ONE," MR WONG SAID.

ESTABLISHMENT

OFFICER IS A DEMANDING AND

"DEMANDING BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO DEAL WITH INMATES WHO HAVE COMMITTED CRIMINAL OFFENCES AND NOW FACE LONG PERIODS OF DETENTION AND CHALLENGING BECAUSE REFORMING THESE CRIMINALS TO BECOME LAW-ABIDING CITIZENS UPON THEIR RELEASE IS A DIFFICULT BUT REWARDING TASK, SAID.

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HE CITED AN EXAMPLE THAT THE AVERAGE PASS RATE FOR INMATES SAT FOR THE HONG KONG CERTIFICATE OF EXAMINATION LAST YEAR EXCEED PER CENT.

HE

WHO 81

"SUCH IMPRESSIVE RESULTS WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT THE DEDICATED WORK OF THE STAFF CONCERNED, HE COMMENDED.

MR WONG SAID WHEN THE PUBLIC CAME TO APPRECIATE THE SUCCESS THE INMATES USUALLY ACHIEVED IN PUBLIC EXAMINATIONS, CSD STAFF'S EFFORTS IN MOTIVATING GUIDING AND TEACHING THESE CANDIDATES WERE ALSO GIVEN DUE RECOGNITION.

"WITH THE FIRM COMMITMENT OF THE GOVERNMENT IN RETURNING ALL VIETNAMESE MIGRANTS TO THEIR PLACE OF ORIGIN, THE CSD WILL FACE FROM BOTH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE DETENTION

INCREASING

PRESSURE

CENTRES.

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