Security Bureau's response to media enquiries on redevelopment of Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre
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The Correctional Services Department (CSD) is committed to providing a secure, safe, humane, decent and healthy custodial environment for persons in custody (PICs). To solve the problem of aging facilities and overcrowding of the custodial environment in the LCKRC, the CSD proposed an in-situ redevelopment of the Annex of the LCKRC.
In fact, PICs on remand in the LCKRC are mainly unconvicted persons awaiting court trials. The aging facilities and insufficient support infrastructure in the LCKRC not only affects the custodial environment but also the rehabilitation of PICs. The various facilities proposed in the redevelopment project are thus based on the aforementioned situations and the actual operational needs.
The medical facilities in the correctional institutions (including the dental treatment room) not only ensure the PICs who are unwell to receive timely treatment, but also significantly reduce the security risks posed to the community associated with transferring PICs to and from public hospitals or clinics. Dental treatment within the institution is different from that provided in the public dental clinics in the community. The treatment in the institution is provided by dentists from the Department of Health who visit periodically for consultations (typically one to two times per month). PICs are processed and scheduled for treatments on a prioritised basis as with the general public. The proposed dental treatment room in the redevelopment project is intended to replace the existing one. Moreover, PICs from other institutions can also be arranged to receive dental treatments in the LCKRC.
The provision of religious services in correctional institutions aims to support PICs from the moral and spiritual perspectives. The proposed multi-purpose religious service room is designed to enable members from various religious organisations to provide religious services to PICs with a view to support their rehabilitation.
The design principles of "fitness for purpose and no frills" have been adopted in the redevelopment project, and the concepts of standardisation and simplification in the design and construction arrangements of the project have been applied as far as possible to formulate the design requirements that meet the operational needs, thereby enhancing the construction efficiency and quality of the project, as well as the cost-effectiveness at the same time.
Regarding the construction cost of the redevelopment of the LKCRC, it is approximately comparable to the construction cost of the redevelopment of the Tai Lam Centre for Women in 2011 when excluding the unique factors of the two projects and adjusting for the price index changes over a period of over ten years. The unit price calculated based on the gross floor area is roughly the same for both projects.
The redevelopment project facilitates the modernisation of correctional facilities, thereby enhancing the management efficiency and security level of correctional institutions, as well as the effectiveness of rehabilitation programmes implemented therein, which are conducive to meeting the long-term development needs of the CSD. At the same time, with improvement in the working environment of correctional officers, the daily operational efficiency could be enhanced. It also enables detainees to better integrate into society after leaving the institution.
Ends/Thursday, November 9, 2023
Issued at HKT 23:15
Issued at HKT 23:15
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