ENG-1972 — Page 159

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PUBLIC ORDER

80 prisoners serving sentences of under one year and who are employed on general maintenance work outside the prison.

The open system has continued to be a useful method of handling certain cate- gories of prisoners serving sentences under three years, particularly first offenders. Chi Ma Wan Prison is located on the island of Lantau, with the prisoners mostly employed on outdoor work such as afforestation or projects designed to assist the local population. The institution has a young prisoners section with separate dormitory accommodation and a daily routine of half-day study, half-day work.

Siu Lam Psychiatric Centre was opened in December 1972 and provides accom- modation for 120 inmates (males). The centre is manned by trained staff with a con- sultant psychiatrist and has modern facilities for dealing with offenders who require psychiatric care. The Tai Lam Centre for Women is situated in the New Territories and accommodates remand and convicted women prisoners.

Training and Detention Centres

These centres provide an alternative to imprisonment for convicted young offenders between the ages of 14 and 21. Four training centres for males are located at Stanley, Cape Collinson, Tai Tam Gap and Victoria. These highly disciplined centres provide a full programme of school and vocational training. Sporting activities are also encouraged. A sentence runs from a minimum of nine months to a maximum of three years followed by a compulsory period of aftercare. It was intended that Tai Tam Gap should cater for those held on remand in Lai Chi Kok. However, due to mounting pressure on accommodation, this was not possible and alternative accom- modation on a temporary basis has been made available in Victoria Reception Centre. The site and buildings at Lai Chi Kok have now been handed back to the Public Works Department for redevelopment into the Kowloon Reception Centre. The loca- tion of a training centre for remands in Victoria is an interim measure pending the completion of a new maximum security training centre at Pik Uk. Site formation works for this centre were completed during the year.

On March 16, 1972, the Detention Centres Ordinance was enacted to provide yet another alternative in dealing with young offenders. To facilitate the implementa- tion of this ordinance, the area and buildings of the Shek Pik Training Centre were modified and the inmates transferred to the Tai Tam Gap Training Centre. Renamed Sha Tsui Detention Centre, it became operational on June 16, 1972 and now has accommodation for 100. The emphasis is on strict discipline and hardwork with the aim of teaching an inmate respect for the law while providing positive training. A sentence of detention is indeterminate from a minimum of one month to a maximum of six months, followed by six months compulsory aftercare.

Addiction Treatment Centres

A large percentage of convicted persons are found to be drug dependant. As an alternative to imprisonment, the addiction treatment centres at Tai Lam and Ma Po Ping provide accommodation for 508 and 660 males respectively. Female drug de- pendants are housed in a centre in the Tai Lam Centre for Women. Comprehensive