The Correctional Services Department (CSD) is committed to strengthening staff's sense of national identity and patriotism, and their awareness of and responsibility for safeguarding national security by including topics such as a holistic view of national security, national security education, the National Security Law, the Constitution and the Basic Law into development training courses for serving staff and recruit training programmes. The CSD has arranged for the staff of the Hong Kong Correctional Services Academy (HKCSA) and the members of the CSD's Guard of Honour to receive Chinese-style foot drill training provided by the Chinese People's Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison. In order to enhance staff's understanding of Chinese culture and strengthen their sense of national identity, the CSD has also arranged for staff to participate in exchange programmes held in the Mainland.

In addition, since July 2022, the HKCSA has launched a foot drill training programme under which Chinese-style foot drill instructor courses are organised for seven auxiliary services and youth uniform groups. Through this programme, the HKCSA aims to deepen young people's understanding of our country and strengthen their sense of national pride.

The National Security Law has been applied in Hong Kong by promulgation since 2020. While society has restored stability and is advancing to prosperity, a large number of people who were involved in black-clad violence or violated the offences under the National Security Law have been remanded or sentenced. Some of them are radicals or highly educated people who have attempted posing threats to institutional order and discipline.

To maintain good order and discipline in prisons, the Department has adopted the “nip-it-in-the-bud” strategy to continuously enhance its penal management measures. In addition to enhancing the intelligence network and security monitoring, persons in custody (PICs) are appropriately assigned to different correctional institutions, having --regard to their backgrounds, offences committed and influence so as to prevent them from building up and recruiting forces. If PICs are found to have committed acts of indiscipline, correctional officers will take immediate actions to nip any acts or activities endangering the security of our country and Hong Kong in institutions in the bud, and will never allow any institutions to become a base for subversion against China and Hong Kong.

In recent years, quite a number of radical persons involved in serious offences have been admitted to correctional institutions. Many of them were incited to go astray after being influenced by radical thoughts. As some of these PICs do not have a thorough understanding of our country or even hold some wrong perceptions, it is necessary for the Department to deepen their understanding of Chinese history and culture, and enhance their sense of national identity. In this connection, the Department has launched the “Project PATH” which is pursued along three focused rehabilitation directions, namely (i) understanding Chinese history and strengthening national education; (ii) psychological reconstruction and re-establishment of values; and (iii) life planning and rebuilding of family relationships, with a view to assisting PICs to rebuild positive values and face positively the challenges ahead.

On understanding Chinese history and strengthening national education, the Department has implemented an education programme named “Understanding history is the beginning of knowledge” to strengthen the sense of national identity of PICs and raise their law-abiding awareness. On psychological reconstruction and re-establishment of values, the Department has launched the “Youth Lab” and “CHANGE Lab” to provide psychological counselling and continuous support for young PICs and rehabilitated young offenders under supervision. On life planning and rebuilding of family relationships, the Department aims to assist PICs and rehabilitated offenders to set correct life goals and rebuild family relationships through education, employment and family support. The Department has launched an employment programme called the “Project JET” and signed Memorandums of Understanding with the Hong Kong Metropolitan University and eight University Grants Committee-funded universities to affirm their long-term partnerships in education, so as to provide more comprehensive support for PICs who wish to continue to enroll in tertiary programmes.

Public acceptance of and support for rehabilitated offenders could help them break the vicious cycle of reoffending, thereby building a safer and more inclusive society. To this end, public education is indispensable.

In recent years, the CSD has been proactively extending its reach beyond the prison walls to the community. Through the 12 programmes under the Rehabilitation Pioneer Project, namely Education Talk, Personal Encounter with Prisoners Scheme, Green Haven Scheme, Visit to Hong Kong Correctional Services Museum, Student Forum, Extended Training Camp, Drama and Music Performance of “Creation and Rehabilitation”, The Reflective Path, Summer Tour, Mission in Prison, Rehabilitation Pioneer Leaders and Rehabilitation Express, the Department proactively disseminates to young people the messages of “safeguarding our country and home, leading a law-abiding and drug-free life as well as supporting offender rehabilitation”. The Department has also been organising activities promoting offender rehabilitation in different areas to appeal for public support and participation, with a view to reducing crime at its roots.