lodging and employment. For those who have no readily available accommodation of their own, they are temporarily accommodated in the department's New Life House, which is a half-way house; plans are now in hand to expand its present capacity of 24.
Construction of the Hei Ling Chau Centre
7
The Prisons Department took over the island of Hei Ling Chau from the Hong Kong Auxiliary of the Leprosy Mission in early 1975 and proceeded to convert it into the department's largest addiction treatment centre. During the year, construction work on the centre went ahead at full speed. With the exception of electrical and mechanical installations, all other construction work was carried out by inmates, under the supervision and technical guidance of officers from the Prisons Department and the Public Works Department. By the end of the year, the centre was accommodating 754 inmates and it is expected that its capacity will eventually be expanded to 1,400. Apart from the construction of an addiction treatment centre on the island, the Prisons Department also plans to build a "subsidiary" centre on the western part of the island where sufficient natural resources are available to allow physical activities of a more vigorous nature for young inmates below the age of 21.
A high success rate
8
By international standards, the results of the Prisons Department's compul- sory treatment and rehabilitation programme are remarkable. Up to the end of 1976, 8,143 male and female dischargees had gone through the statutory one- year period of after-care. 59.3 per cent of the male dischargees and 76.8 per cent of the female dischargees are certified to have remained drug free and, at the same time, have not been convicted of any criminal offences during the one-year period. The department also conducted a random-sampling survey for a further two years on 10 per cent of the 8,143 inmates and found that about 40 per cent of them were still drug-free and did not have any criminal conviction record at the end of the period. A further 12.5 per cent who were reconvicted within this three-year period were also found to be drug-free. Thus, if the criteria of success were to be only that of remaining drug free, this figure should be added to the 40 per cent making it 52.5 per cent success.
9
During 1976, a total of 2,160 convicted drug addicts were admitted to the four treatment centres of the department and 1,870 others were under after-care. On 1st January 1977, the total population of the four centres was 1,611, with a men to women ratio of 19:1. In addition, 4,737 prisoners who were confirmed to be drug addicts received detoxification treatment inside prisons proper during the year under review.
10 It is worthy of note that for the third consecutive year, there has been a decrease in the proportion of young drug addicts aged under 21 who were admitted to the department's treatment centres. In 1973, young addicts aged under 21 accounted for 17.4 per cent of the total admission. Last year, it was only 8.6 per cent (see Appendix 5). The steady decline coincides with a similar downward trend in the number of new admissions as well as the number of young addicts admitted to the Shek Kwu Chau voluntary treatment centre in recent years (see paragraph 7 of Chapter 12). When considered together with achievements attained in other aspects of anti-narcotics work, these statistics show that Hong Kong is making remarkable headway in its fight against narcotics.
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New Life House
11 In addition to the treatment centres the Prisons Department runs a half-way house for certain persons discharged from the male treatment centres who are suitabl return to work in the community but who it is considered would benefit from a further period in a controlled environment. Residents engage in normal employment during the day but are required to return to the house in the evening. Individual and group therapy plays an important part in the programme.
The Lok Heep Club
12 The Lok Heep Club, a voluntary agency operating under the auspices of Caritas Hong Kong and working closely with the Prisons Department, continued to be well patronized. At the end of the year, its ordinary membership, which is open to all former drug addicts, stood at 565. Its associate membership, which is open to members of the public who are interested in the aims of the club, was 109. The main function of the club is to provide former drug addicts with recreational amenities and social activities at its two clubhouses. In addition members took an active part in the anti-drug campaign organized by the Preventive Education and Publicity Sub-Committee of A.C.A.N.
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