Correctional Services Department's two-pronged approach: Safe custody and rehabilitation
17 March 2019
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The rule of law is the cornerstone of Hong Kong's prosperity and stability. It takes a sound judicial system as well as fair and professional law enforcement to maintain the rule of law in our city.
The Correctional Services Department (CSD) plays a crucial role in the criminal justice system of Hong Kong. CSD officers work with dedication not only to keep watch on the prisoners, but also, more importantly, to provide them with a safe and secure custodial environment and to help them rehabilitate and reintegrate into society as law-abiding citizens.
Last week, I attended the Correctional Officer Excellence Award Presentation Ceremony 2019 organised by the New Territories General Chamber of Commerce to recognise the outstanding performance of frontline CSD staff. Videos of the awardees played at the ceremony have deeply impressed me. Being snapshots of the work of CSD officers in different posts, the videos reflected the values of the CSD, namely integrity, professionalism, humanity, discipline and perseverance.
Although the work of the CSD, as compared with that of other Government departments, may not be familiar to the general public, correctional work has in fact contributed tremendously to the continuous development of society.
With the collaborative efforts of the CSD and other stakeholders in society, Hong Kong's recidivism rate (the percentage of re-admission of persons in custody to correctional institutions following conviction of a new offence within two years after discharge) has seen a substantial decrease over the last decade or so, from 39.9% in 2000 to 24.9% in 2018. Specifically, the recidivism rate of young persons in custody decreased from 11.9% in 2015 to 10.2% in 2016. Any reduction in crime means there are fewer victims and thus much reduced social cost.
According to a study conducted by the CSD together with the City University of Hong Kong in 2017, the CSD's work in rehabilitation and community education carried out from 2012 to 2016 resulted in a total of $74.3 billion in savings in terms of the social cost of crime to society, which was even more than the Government's recurrent expenditure of $71.2 billion on health in 2018-19. This shows that the CSD's efforts have achieved fruitful results.
Apart from placing emphasis on "safe custody" and "rehabilitation" in its work, the CSD also helps persons in custody in various ways so that they can become self-reliant and reintegrate into society.
In terms of learning, persons in custody have, time and again, obtained good results in public examinations. In the past five years (from 2013 to 2018), 11 young persons in custody achieved results in the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination which met the entry requirements of local universities, while 22 adult persons in custody were awarded bachelor's degrees and seven were awarded master's degrees. For vocational training examinations, the passing rate in recent years was nearly 100%, and the employment rates for adult and young persons in custody after the six-month employment follow-up period upon release were over 80% and 90% respectively.
Besides, persons in custody get themselves prepared for reintegration into society by attending vocational training courses to upgrade themselves. The CSD offers more than 40 market-oriented vocational training courses, such as hair design, Western catering, pet beauty, formwork, bar bending and fixing. Two new courses on floor laying and computer-aided drawing for interior decoration have been offered since last year. Over the past five years, these courses have helped trainees obtain over 18 000 certificates, including those recognised under the Qualifications Framework and by the relevant industries. Such courses not only enhance the work skills of persons in custody, but also meet the manpower needs of Hong Kong, thus achieving a win-win situation.
In recent years, the CSD has proactively promoted community education to stop crime at source. Through a programme called The Reflective Path under the Rehabilitation Pioneer Project, youngsters can visit correctional institutions and experience the life behind bars through activities such as mock court hearing, simulated reception procedures, custody in dormitories and single cells, foot drill training and sharing session with persons in custody. The experience will enhance youngsters' understanding of the heavy price paid by offenders and society for committing crimes. The number of attendances for various activities under the Project exceeded 40 000 last year. The response was indeed positive.
Correctional work is no easy task. From time to time, there were prison incidents which severely threatened public safety in other parts of the world. To maintain the stability of society, the CSD has been reviewing and strengthening its preventive measures, contingency plans and staff equipment so as to curb all illicit activities by nipping them in the bud. Over the past ten years, there has been no escape case or any other major prison incident in Hong Kong.
To enhance the efficiency of institutional management and operations, the CSD actively takes forward the development of a smart prison system and introduces smart elements in its major facility improvement proposals. Innovation and technology, such as video analytics, are used to modernise the operations of correctional facilities, with a view to enhancing the efficiency and security of prison management.
CSD officers are well-trained, professional and well-disciplined. To cope with the challenging work, they have to stay vigilant at all times to deal with contingencies.
An open recruitment exercise for the post of Officer was launched by the CSD early this year, whereas applications for the post of Assistant Officer II are accepted all year round. I hope that young persons who are interested in correctional work will not miss the chance to join the CSD.
As one of the cities with the lowest crime rates in the world, Hong Kong has seen continuous improvement in public order. The recidivism rate of rehabilitated offenders has been decreasing, which is indeed attributable to our correctional officers, who work with professionalism, commitment and perseverance. By discharging their duties faithfully as guardians of society and rehabilitation facilitators, CSD officers play the role of gatekeeper in our criminal justice system, and contribute to the building of a stable and inclusive society as well as the sustainable development of Hong Kong.
Celebrating its 100th anniversary next year (2020), the CSD will organise a series of activities to mark this major milestone by introducing to the public the development of correctional work and its contribution to society. Let us show our staunch support for the 6 000-plus correctional officers, who have been working with devotion to safeguard the security of Hong Kong.
