TNAG-0416-FCO40-462-Review-of-narcotics-problem-in-Hong-Kong-1973 — Page 72

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any place or building to be an addiction treatment centre for the cure and

rehabilitation of persons found guilty of an offence punishable with

imprisonment, other than non-payment of a fine, who are addicted to any

dangerous drug.

Where a person is found guilty of a relevant offence and the court

is satisfied in the circumstances of the case, having regard to his or her character and previous conduct, that it is in their interest and the public

interest that they should undergo a period of cure and rehabilitation in

an addiction treatment centre, the court may, in lieu of imposing any other

sentence, order that such persons be detained in an addiction treatment

centre. The period of detention for treatment is from a minimum of six months to a maximum of eighteen months, followed by a compulsory period of twelve

months after-care.

The date of discharge from a treatment centre is determined in the

light of the inmate's health, progress and likelihood of continuing abstention from drugs on release. The progress of each inmate is regularly reviewed by

a board which makes recommendations to the Commissioner of Prisons for

discharge.

DRUG ADDICTION TREATMENT CENTRES FOR MALES

There are two such centres under the administration of the Prisons

Department. The first one, providing accommodation for 500 inmates, the

Tai Lam Treatment Centre nestles at the foot of the Tai Lam Chung dam. Access is gained via the Tai Lam Chung Road, located at the 16th milestone

Castle Peak Road, in the New Territories. This centre also has a remand

wing for persons remanded from the courts for suitability reports for

admission to an addiction treatment centre. A second centre is located at

Ma Po Ping on the hillside above the South Lantao Road on Lantao Island. It

became operational on 1st January, 1972 and has accommodation for 660.

While both centres follow the same type of programme, for administrative reasons, inmates selected for Tai Lam are mainly first offenders and those without long criminal histories; inmates selected for Ma Po Ping are mainly old habitual offenders who may or may not have previously been treated in other centres either within the department or outside.