Rehabilitation
| Pre-sentence Assessment | Risks and Needs Assessment and Management Protocol for Offenders |
| Welfare Support and Counselling | Psychological Services | Education | Statutory Supervision | Half-way House |
| Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) | Community Engagement | Rehabilitation Pioneer Project |
Set up in 1998, our 17 years of experience have firmly established the Division in the offender rehabilitation front. The Rehabilitation Division bases our professionalism on CSD’s principles of placing dual emphasis on custodial and rehabilitative services advocated in 1982. In 2015, we continued to use the theme “Give Rehabilitated Offenders A Chance” to design our diversified yet unique on-going initiatives and enhanced programmes to help offenders rehabilitate and reintegrate into society.
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Pre-sentence Assessment
Pre-sentence Assessment provides the court with comprehensive profiles of the offenders and makes recommendations on the most suitable rehabilitation scheme for them. There were 2 640 cases in 2015.
The Young Offender Assessment Panel, composed of correctional and social welfare professionals, provides coordinated professional views to the court in the sentencing of young offenders by conducting interviews and assessments. In 2015, the Panel handled 74 referrals and 90.5% of its recommendations were accepted.
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Risks and Needs Assessment and Management Protocol for Offenders
The Risks and Needs Assessment and Management Protocol for Offenders was designed to identify persons in custody prone to custodial as well as re-offending risks to enhance prison management, and to deliver rehabilitative programmes matching with offenders' rehabilitation needs to facilitate their rehabilitation.
In 2015, 3 042 persons in custody participated in Risks and Needs Assessment. 9 441 sessions of Risks and Needs Programme Matching were conducted for 26 985 persons in custody.
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Welfare Support and Counselling
The Rehabilitation Division renders welfare support and counselling to persons in custody right from their admission to correctional institutions when they may be facing the difficult time during custody. The main objectives are to cater for the welfare needs of persons in custody, help them deal with their adjustment problems, address their offending behaviour and prepare them for reintegration into society. In 2015, we conducted 173 256 individual counselling sessions and 1 633 pre-release reintegration orientation courses.
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Psychological Services
Targeting offending behaviour by addressing criminogenic needs, psychological services are rendered to enhance the psychological well-being of offenders while under custodial care. Using clinical tools, systematic psychological assessment and follow-up are provided. The Division continued to strengthen the psychological treatment programmes targeting offending behaviours for sex offenders, violent offenders, young offenders, drug abusers, and female persons in custody.
We have progressed smoothly in developing the comprehensive battery of assessment tools for adult and young sex offenders. The study was completed in 2015. Study results help accurate understanding of their
re-offending risks and treatment needs. We continued our collaboration with renowned academics to develop the tools for assessing re-offending risks of adult violent offenders. At the same time, active attempt is underway to improve and update the battery of psychological assessment tools for local young offenders to facilitate assessment, treatment and evaluation work. With the new psychological assessment protocol, we envisage having more detailed and accurate understanding of the most updated psychological risks and needs profile of the new generation of young offenders in the coming decades.
In 2015, 32 353 counselling sessions were conducted and 487 assessment reports were prepared.
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Education
The Education Unit caters for young persons in custody with customised programmes, focusing on general and practical studies. Facilities are continuously being upgraded for enhancing their learning effectiveness in information technology and language courses in particular. Young persons in custody obtained good results in the fourth Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination. We are committed to strengthening education support for young persons in custody to equip them academically and assist them to attain accredited qualifications.
For adult persons in custody, we cooperate with the Open University of Hong Kong and other educational institutions to promote higher learning and self-improvement, and have arranged for members of CSD Rehabilitation Volunteer Group (CSDRVG) to run educational classes for them. In 2015, a total of 1 103 public examination papers were taken and the overall passing rate was 75%.
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Statutory Supervision
Statutory supervision safeguards young persons in custody, drug addicts and certain persons in custody in their transition back into society. Supervision staff pay home visits or workplace visits to supervisees, and work with them and their social networks to garner respect and support. At the end of 2015, 1 991 persons were under active statutory supervision.
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Half-way House
Half-way House extends efforts beyond detention, training and drug addiction treatment centres or prisons. Supervisees residing in a half-way house may go out to work or attend school during daytime for better reintegration, discipline and civic awareness. Recreational and social activities are also available.
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Non-Government Organisations (NGOs)
The Department works closely with NGOs to provide rehabilitation programmes. In 2015, more than 2 000 volunteers from over 80 NGOs served from counselling to the organisation of cultural, religious and recreational projects. In December 2015, we held a forum entitled “Positive Energy Map” in collaboration with the City University of Hong Kong to boost cooperation with NGOs. In the same month, correctional facilities under CSD held various activities under the theme of "Thank-you NGO Month" to let persons in custody express their gratitude towards personnel and volunteers of NGOs which have been co-operating with the Department for a long time.
We continued to implement the “Creation and Rehabilitation” Programme in Stanley Prison in collaboration with one of the NGOs, by using creative arts and drama to help persons in custody build skills in communication, leadership, problem-solving, conflict resolution and respect for self and others.
We arranged for some 600 students from secondary schools to attend the “Rehabilitation Pioneer Project (RPP)” — A Drama and Music Performance of “Creation and Rehabilitation” at Stanley Prison in February and October 2015. It promoted the students’ awareness of the serious consequence of committing crime, importance of offender rehabilitation and social inclusion.
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Community Engagement
We reach out to the community to seek public engagement for offender rehabilitation. Among other partners, the Committee on Community Support for Rehabilitated Offenders, composed of leaders and professionals from different walks of life, advises on rehabilitation strategies, notably publicity programmes.
CSD Rehabilitation Volunteer Group (CSDRVG) organises activities to supplement services in meeting the needs of persons in custody. With around 250 volunteers, the Group conducted language courses, computer studies, cultural pursuits, etc., for persons in custody in various correctional institutions in 2015.
Publicity activities have been on-going since 1999, constituting a bridge between persons in custody and society. Through activities such as District Fight Crime Committees District-based Publicity Activities for Rehabilitated Persons, Thank-you NGO Month, NGO Forum and Award Presentation Ceremony for Volunteers of CSDRVG held in 2015, the importance of collaborative efforts made by members of the community and NGOs to accept and help offenders rehabilitate was highlighted.
CSD collaborates with various employers, business organisations and statutory bodies through institutional visits and suitable opportunities to help enhance the employability of rehabilitated persons.
In December 2015, CSD jointly held the Job Fair for Rehabilitated Offenders again with the Chinese Manufacturers’ Association of Hong Kong and Merchants Support for Rehabilitated Offenders Committee Limited. During the event, employers were gathered in one place to conduct interviews with persons in custody in correctional institutions via computer video conferencing technology. It provided a platform for persons in custody who would be released soon to look for jobs, thus helping them reintegrate into society quickly after release.
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Rehabilitation Pioneer Project
The Rehabilitation Pioneer Project (RPP) includes a series of activities such as Education Talks, Personal Encounter with Prisoners Scheme, Green Haven Scheme, Visits to Hong Kong Correctional Services Museum, Extended Training Camp, Student Forum, Drama and Music Performance of “Creation and Rehabilitation” and "The Reflective Path". CSD seeks to disseminate to the public the messages of leading a law-abiding and drug-free life as well as supporting offender rehabilitation. The talks provide basic information on Hong Kong’s criminal justice system and CSD’s custodial and rehabilitative programmes. The Personal Encounter with Prisoners Scheme instil anti-crime awareness by arranging young students to visit correctional institutions and meet with persons in custody for experience sharing. The Green Haven Scheme promotes anti-drug messages and the importance of environmental protection among young people.
Participants meet with young persons in custody at treatment centres on Hei Ling Chau, gaining insight into the detrimental effects of drug abuse. Visits to Hong Kong Correctional Services Museum foster participants’ understanding of the development of correctional services, particularly the importance of public support for offender rehabilitation. The Student Forum is another crime prevention programme which features a drama in theatre format about a person who went astray by taking drugs. Students were invited to participate in a role play and a sharing session to strengthen the interactive effect. The forum enabled the students to understand the dire consequences of taking drugs and committing crimes. In 2015, CSD organised nine Student Forums with the participation of over 2 000 secondary students, teachers and social workers. CSD also arranged 10 extended training camps as well as two drama and music performances of "Creation and Rehabilitation" in 2015 to intensify the effectiveness of the project.
With a view to enhancing students’ understanding of the criminal judicial system and correctional services, as well as the heavy price for committing crimes, CSD launched a new initiative namely "The Reflective Path" in September 2015. Making use of the facilities in the Staff Training Institute and decommissioned Ma Hang Prison, students were able to experience the life of persons in custody which included mock court hearing, simulated reception procedures, custody in dormitories and single cells, foot drill training, simulated work groups and sharing session by persons in custody, etc.