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The following is issued on behalf of the Release under Supervision Board:
The Release under Supervision Board, a statutory advisory body established under the Prisoners (Release under Supervision) Ordinance, today (June 15) published its fifth report to give an overview of the board's activities since its establishment on July 1, 1988, up to June 30, 2006.
Chaired by Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court, Mr Justice Louis Tong Po-sun, the board is tasked to consider applications for early release from eligible prisoners and to make recommendations to the Chief Executive on related matters.
"During the period, the board has considered 1,697 applications for two early release schemes, the Release under Supervision Scheme and the Pre-release Employment Scheme. About 20% of the applications (340) were approved," a spokesman for the board said.
"Since the implementation of the two schemes in 1988, all supervisees complied with the conditions of supervision and led a law-abiding life during the supervision period, except two supervisees whose supervision orders were revoked and three others who were issued with warning letters for breaching the supervision conditions," the spokesman said.
"The board is satisfied with the effective operation of the two early release schemes over the years, under which prisoners are provided with the necessary guidance and assistance in adapting to normal life, thereby helping to reduce recidivism for the benefit of society as a whole," he said.
The primary objective of the two schemes is to enable eligible prisoners to be released early under supervision, so that they can serve part of their sentence outside prison, thus facilitating their reintegration into society as law-abiding citizens.
Under the Release under Supervision Scheme, prisoners who are serving a sentence of three years or more and have served not less than one half or 20 months (whichever is the greater) of their sentence may apply for early release. Successful applicants are released from prison subject to supervision until the end of their sentence.
As for the Pre-release Employment Scheme, prisoners who are serving a sentence of two years or more and are within six months prior to their earliest date of discharge are eligible to apply. Successful applicants are released from prison up to six months prior to their earliest date of discharge and are subject to supervision until their earliest date of discharge. They must have secured employment and reside in a hostel managed by the Correctional Services Department during the supervision period.
The fifth report of the board can be read from the website: http://www.sb.gov.hk/eng/links/rusb/report5.pdf
Ends/Friday, June 15, 2007
Issued at HKT 15:01
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