*********************************************************
The Secretary for Security, Mr Ambrose S K Lee, said today (July 20) that the newly opened Lai Chi Kok Correctional Institution (LCKCI) would help relieve the problems of prison overcrowding and ageing penal facilities in the near term.
Mr Lee made the remarks in an opening ceremony for LCKCI. He said the new institution not only provided more penal places than the decommissioned Victoria Prison that it replaced, but was equipped with more up-to-date facilities.
LCKCI, a 650-penal-place medium-security institution for female adult prisoners and detainees, was redeveloped from the old staff married quarters of Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre at Butterfly Valley Road and the former Kowloon Motor Bus Depot.
"The redevelopment required no additional land and won the support of the local community. It also showed how a department might enhance its services by maximising the use of existing resources," Mr Lee said.
"The Correctional Services Department (CSD) should be commended for their efforts and creativity. Colleagues in the department have demonstrated their professionalism and perseverance, as well as the flexibility in the utilisation of resources and space."
He added that over the years, CSD colleagues had strived for their vision of assisting rehabilitated offenders in reintegrating into society and spared no effort in pursuing continuous improvement in their services.
Mr Lee also extended his gratitude to the Commissioner of Correctional Services, Mr Pang Sung-yuen, who was about to retire. He said that under Mr Pang's brilliant leadership, Hong Kong correctional services, in particular the rehabilitative services, had seen tremendous development in recent years.
Also speaking at the ceremony, Commissioner Pang said the total number of female places offered by CSD has increased significantly from 1,340 to nearly 2,000 with the completion of the LCKCI.
"The excessive admission of inmates has all along been one of the most pressing problems of our department over the years. The problem is mainly attributed to the upsurge in the number of female inmates. In June 2004, we witnessed a record high of nearly 3,100 female inmates," he said.
The overcrowding problem had been very severe in all major female institutions for many years, with the occupancy rate in Tai Lam Centre for Women at 257% in June 2004. At that time, there were 715 prisoners, but the institution had a capacity for just 278.
"Although the completion of the institution cannot fully solve the long-standing overcrowding problem, the expanded capacity helps alleviate the situation to a large extent and enhances our ability to cope with the reoccurrence of the challenge in future."
Mr Pang said the completion of LCKCI marked a milestone in the modernisation of female penal institutions in Hong Kong. He said the state-of-the-art design and the use of a central computerised monitoring system of the new institution demonstrated CSD's commitment to keep pace with the time in applying the latest technology to enhance efficiency of daily operation.
The institution consists of five multi-storey buildings comprising the reception office, visit room, dormitory, kitchen, dining halls, activity room, centre hospital, baby care unit, parent-child centre, welfare unit, psychological services unit, beauty salon, computer room and workshops.
Ends/Thursday, July 20, 2006
Issued at HKT 13:33
NNNN
