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President of the Legislative Council Mrs Rita Fan Hsu Lai-tai today (December 21) commended the Correctional Services Department (CSD) for its role as an integral part of the criminal justice system of Hong Kong.
Speaking at a passing-out parade at the department's Staff Training Institute, Mrs Fan said CSD has been working hard to provide quality custodial service as well as comprehensive rehabilitation services over the years.
Mrs Fan said that through the better use of social resources, the department had effectively called upon the public to accept and care for rehabilitated offenders to help and encourage them to start afresh, achieving its goal of "putting education on a par with correction".
She said: "In recent years, the CSD has formulated some short-term and long-term measures to alleviate crowdedness in penal institutions. Among the short-term measures, the functions and resources of some penal institutions will be redefined and redeployed respectively to suit practical needs.
"As regards the long-term ones, in-situ re-development will be carried out in different institutions to increase accommodation and improve service quality. Expected to be operational in 2010, Lo Wu Correctional Institution is the subject of one of the in-situ re-development projects."
On rehabilitation work, Mrs Fan said CSD had implemented a risks and needs assessment and management protocol for offenders in order to effectively evaluate the re-offending risks of inmates and care for their rehabilitation needs. "It is based on scientific and evidence-based procedures to devise matching packages to help reduce their re-offending risks and undesirable impact on society," she said.
"As harmony and integration are the foundation of Hong Kong's prosperity and stability, the CSD's work is to protect our stable community silently. In the years to come, the CSD will enter a period of high retirement rate among its staff and it is expected that more than 100 Correctional officers will leave the service annually on retirement and natural wastage. Newly graduated trainees are at the right time to fill these vacancies and to propel the department forward with newly added services."
She encouraged the passing-out officers to uphold the professionalism of the department and to deliver high-standard custodial and rehabilitation services for building a more harmonious and integrating society in Hong Kong.
Accompanying Mrs Fan at the passing-out parade was the Commissioner of Correctional Services, Mr Kwok Leung-ming.
A total of 46 Officers and 82 Assistant Officers II participating in the passing-out ceremony completed demanding training of 23 to 26 weeks. Among them, two top Officers were awarded the Principal's Shield and four top Assistant Officers II were awarded the Golden Whistle.
Ends/Friday, December 21, 2007
Issued at HKT 18:22
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