Summary
The motto of the Hong Kong Correctional Services Department (CSD) is to "Support Rehabilitative Offenders for a More Inclusive Society". The Hong Kong CSD has developed a correctional system which has placed increasing emphasis on correction and rehabilitation of offenders over the years. This paper describes the efforts of the Hong Kong CSD in the rehabilitation of young offenders through its Rehabilitation Division that comprises five units: (1) Rehabilitation Units (Assessment and Program), (2) Education Unit, (3) Vocational Training Unit, (4) Psychological Services Section, and (5) Rehabilitation Unit (Supervision). Successful stories in the rehabilitation of young offenders as a result of efforts of the CSD are presented. Finally, several areas of focus of the Hong Kong CSD are highlighted, which may serve as focus areas for other correctional institutions worldwide.
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Extract
Rehabilitation for Young Offenders in Hong Kong Correctional Institutions
Introduction
A major challenge for correctional programs is that educational services may not be a priority (Foley & Gao, 2002). A deterrent, "get tough" approach for juvenile offenders is based on the premise that many juvenile offenders cannot be rehabilitated and that rehabilitation is ineffective (e.g., Krisberg & Austin, 1993). The lack of clear transition planning also presents significant obstacles for correctional educators who try to help incarcerated youth with successful reentry into the community.Much of the research describing correctional education programs has focused on program components developed in the United States. In Asia, the rehabilitative mission of correctional education has a more recent history (see for example, Oh, Goh, Tarn, & Heng, 2005; Tarn, Heng, & Rose, 2007). Hong Kong has become the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China since July 1, 1997. Six times the size of Washington, DC, Hong Kong has a population of almost 7 million and is one of the most important financial hubs in the world. Hong Kong has a free market economy highly dependent on international trade and her service industry has gr...See the full content of this document
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