"Young inmates are required to attend classes daily; adult inmates may also pursue an education by taking evening classes or self-study courses. Some of them have obtained impressive results in local and overseas examinations," he said.
In addition to education, the Government also provides opportunities for work in penal institutions.
Mr Lai said that all adult inmates carried out some kind of work, such as printing, laundry, and gardening.
"The objective is to keep them engaged in meaningful work, so that they can focus their mind on constructive activities.
"In addition to working within penal institutions, inmates held in minimum security prisons may also take part in community work under supervision, such as repairing footpaths and repainting walls in suburban areas.
"These activities provide opportunities for their interaction with the outside world and can better prepare them for re-entry into society later," he said.
As for reintegration of inmates into society, Mr Lai noted that this tended to be more difficult for inmates who had served long periods of detention than those on short-term sentences.
In view of the needs of long-term sentence inmates, Mr Lai said that the Government had been providing a number of aftercare programmes to help discharged inmates return to society as law-abiding citizens.
"Recently, for example, we have introduced a Post-Release Supervision Scheme to provide certain inmates with guidance and assistance after release.
"Under this scheme, home visits may be carried out; post-release counselling and assistance with job placement may be provided, depending on individual needs," he said.
"Our objective is that all discharged inmates can return to society and lead a normal, useful life," he added.
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