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A conference on risk management for offenders was held yesterday and today (June 2 and 3) to provide a platform for inter-disciplinary discussion among professionals on effective ways to manage the re-offending risk of offenders. The conference, entitled "Risk Management of Offenders: Converging Wisdom for a Safer Society", was organised by the Correctional Services Department (CSD) and sponsored by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust.
Officiating at the opening ceremony of the conference, the Commissioner of Correctional Services, Mr Yau Chi-chiu, emphasised the CSD's determination to develop rehabilitation of persons in custody by adopting an evidence-based and scientific approach. Mr Yau said, "I firmly believe that enhancing professionalism in rehabilitation on all fronts will not only benefit offenders themselves, but also their families and, more importantly, our community in the long run."
Also speaking at the opening ceremony, the Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Professor Fanny Cheung, commended the CSD for its continuous efforts to enhance professional rehabilitation work through scientific research and evidence-based practice. Rigorous research conducted in the correctional field strengthens offender rehabilitation, and the knowledge gained also further inspires the community on crime prevention.
Emeritus Professor at the Institute of Criminology at the University of Cambridge, the UK, Professor Friedrich Lösel; former Director of the Vermont Department of Corrections, the US, Ms Georgia Cumming were the key speakers. Local legal professionals; clinical psychologists; a psychiatrist; a correctional manager; and a social worker were other speakers at the conference.
The conference aimed to enhance risk management for offenders from custody to the community, by bringing together wisdom from research and practice as well as integrating experiences from the East and the West. It highlighted international best practices of risk management for offenders and multi-disciplinary collaboration. In view of the public concern about sexual offences, special emphasis was placed on sex offenders.
More than 250 professionals and academics participated in this conference, with 28 delegates from Canada, Indonesia, Macau, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore also taking part in the important event.
Ends/Friday, June 3, 2016
Issued at HKT 19:25
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