ENG-1991 — Page 326

PUBLIC ORDER

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During the year, the number of Vietnamese illegal immigrants continued to increase but there was a slight decrease in the number of Chinese illegal immigrants in custody. However, illegal immigrants still made up 30 per cent of the penal population, imposing serious strains upon existing accommodation, staffing and other resources. To meet the shortfall in accommodation, additional beds had to be placed in dormitories and cells designed for one person.

Male Offenders

Prisoners are assigned to institutions according to their security rating, which takes into account, among other things, the risk they pose to the community and whether or not they are first offenders.

There are 11 prisons for adult male prisoners including:

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four of maximum security: Stanley Prison, Shek Pik Prison, Siu Lam Psychiatric Centre and Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre;

three of medium security: Ma Po Ping Prison, Tung Tau Correctional Institution and Victoria Prison; and

four of minimum security: Tai Lam Correctional Institution, Pik Uk Prison, Tong Fuk Centre and Ma Hang Prison.

Stanley Prison and Shek Pik Prison house prisoners serving long sentences or life imprisonment. Siu Lam Psychiatric Centre accommodates the criminally insane and those requiring psychiatric treatment. Adult males awaiting trial or remanded in custody during court hearings are detained at Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre which also has a separate section for male civil debtors. Victoria Prison houses illegal immigrants pending repatriation to China and a special section at Ma Hang Prison has been set aside for geriatric prisoners. All convicted prisoners who are medically fit are required by law to work. Adult prisoners released under the Pre-release Employment Scheme are provided with accommodation at Phoenix House, a halfway house for adult and young offenders.

Young Male Offenders

The department administers four correctional programmes for young male offenders under the Prisons, Training Centres, Drug Addiction Treatment Centres and Detention Centres Ordinances.

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The maximum security Pik Uk Correctional Institution is run as a reception centre and training centre as well as a prison for young offenders under 25 years of age, including those who are remanded for pre-sentence reports on their suitability for admission to the department's young offender programmes.

Cape Collinson Correctional Institution houses those between the ages of 14 and 17, and Lai King Training Centre, those between 18 and 20 years who have been sentenced to the training centre programme.

Lai Sun Correctional Institution on Hei Ling Chau accommodates young prisoners aged between 14 and 20. To cope with the increased penal population, a portion of Sha Tsui Detention Centre was gazetted in April 1989 to hold young prisoners between 14 and 20 years of age. Since early 1990, sections of Lai Sun Correctional Institution and Sha Tsui Detention Centre have been further utilised to accommodate adult prisoners, under a separate programme, in order to cope with the increasing number of illegal immigrant prisoners. During 1991, Lai Sun Correctional Institution continued to hold adult illegal

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