ENG-1983 — Page 245

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PUBLIC ORDER

designed for young offenders to include remedial educational classes, vocational training and counselling.

Pik Uk Correctional Institution, housing 385, is a maximum security institution which operates as a reception centre, training centre and prison for young offenders. It also caters for young people under 25 convicted by the courts but remanded for reports on their suitability for a training or detention centre.

Cape Collinson Correctional Institution, with facilities for 200, is a training centre catering for those aged between 18 and 21 of lower security rating. It also accommodates refugees in a separate section.

Lai King Training Centre, which can house 260, is a medium security institution catering for the 14 to 18 age group.

The detention centre programme is carried out at Sha Tsui Detention Centre. With accommodation for 220, this medium security institution is divided into two sections: one for detainees aged between 14 and 20 and the other for those between 21 and 24.

The Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Ordinance 1980 provides for a year's statutory supervision on release for any prisoner who is sentenced to a term of imprisonment of three months or more before he is 21 years old and is released before he is 25.

Female Offenders

The department operates two institutions for females. Tai Lam Centre for Women functions as a prison for adult women with a section set aside as a drug addiction treatment centre. Most prisoners work in the large laundry, while inmates in the drug addiction. treatment section are employed mainly in tailoring, gardening or domestic chores.

Tai Tam Gap Correctional Institution accommodates young female offenders under the age of 21. It has separate sections for training centre inmates, young prisoners and girls on remand and includes educational and vocational training classes. The centre has a girls' marching display team and a pipe band which have received wide acclaim for their high standards of performance.

Drug Addiction Treatment

The Correctional Services Department administers a compulsory placement programme for the treatment of convicted drug addicts. This provides the courts with an alternative to imprisonment for such persons. Hei Ling Chau Addiction Treatment Centre, which incorporates the young inmates centre, is for men while a section of Tai Lam Centre for Women is set aside for females. An inmate of a drug addiction treatment centre undergoes treatment for a period of four to 12 months, followed by one year's compulsory supervision after release. The programme is based on discipline and open-air physical activity including work programmes and therapy - supported by a comprehensive aftercare service.

After-care Service

To ensure continued care and guidance, statutory after-care service is provided for persons released from training centres, detention centres and drug addiction treatment centres and for young prisoners. Continuous contact is maintained with every inmate in the centres during the training or treatment period. The after-care staff, with the assistance of the inmate's family, establish sound relationships with the inmates and prepare them to face the challenges and demands to be expected on their return to the community. Close supervision is maintained after discharge through frequent visits made to the supervisee's home or place of work.