![]() ![]() |
HONG KONG Idleness -- which leads to boredom, tensions, and violence -- is the bane of the
prison environment. In Hong Kong, unlike in many countries, most prisoners are
kept occupied. Convicted prisoners work; juvenile prisoners are given education
and vocational training; only remand prisoners have little to do. The emphasis
on work, education, and training in the Hong Kong correctional system evidences
the happy fact that rehabilitation is still regarded as one of the goals of
imprisonment. All convicted prisoners in Hong Kong are obliged to work unless they are
excused for medical or other good reasons.(125) Unconvicted prisoners do not
work. Under the Prison Rules, they are supposed to have the option of
working,(126) but -- largely because overcrowding has stretched the system's
resources -- this option exists on paper only. Prison labor is employed through the Correctional Services Industries (CSI),
which, according to the CSD, produced HK $431 million worth of goods and
services in 1996, an increase of HK $33 million over the previous year.(127)
CSI operates nearly 150 industrial workshops in the prisons. As the CSD
explains: The industries cover a wide range of trades, including laundry, garment
making, silk screening, carpentry, fibreglass, precast concrete, metal work,
knitting, shoe making and leather work, envelope making, printing and
book-binding. Apart from industrial production, inmates are employed for general
domestic services, construction and maintenance work as well as community
environmental improvement work.(128) However, some goods made in the prisons, the Human Rights Watch/Hong Kong
Human Rights Monitor delegation found, are the product of such simple and rote
labor that mastering their production can be hardly be deemed a "trade."
The most glaring example of this, which the delegation saw in several prisons,
was cotton-ball making: inmates sitting at tables covered with piles of cotton,
twirling them into little balls. As the cotton balls exemplify, not all prison labor equips inmates with
meaningful skills, even if it does have the benefit of keeping them busy while
incarcerated. Moreover, even with those tasks that might be considered as a
possible vocation, such as garment making, the Human Rights Watch/Hong Kong
Human Rights Monitor delegation noticed that overcrowding has to some extent
overwhelmed the workshops, with one result being that there may be two or three
inmates assigned to a machine for which only one is needed. The final benefit to prisoners of being employed while incarcerated is, of
course, the possibility of earning money. In accordance with international
standards, the Hong Kong prison authorities pay inmates for their labor.(129)
The pay offered is minimal, however, though it varies a great deal depending
upon the work involved and the inmate's experience.(130) Out of the salary
received, inmates must save a mandatory 10 percent; the rest can be spent on
canteen items. All young offenders, with the exception of those held at the Hei Ling Chau
Addiction Treatment Centre and the Sha Tsui Detention Centre, receive a half-day
of education per day.(131) Particularly useful educational offerings, such as
computer training, are provided to training center inmates, who receive a
half-day of vocational training in addition to the half-day of education. The
Human Rights Watch/Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor delegation visited several
classes at the juvenile facilities it inspected, finding that class sizes were
reasonable and class facilities were well maintained. Several teachers,
however, informed the delegation that because of insufficient numbers of
custodial staff to post in the classrooms, security was often quite lax and
violent outbursts occasionally occurred.(132) They described a January 1997
incident at Pik Uk as a case in point: eight Vietnamese prisoners fought in a
classroom, using tables and chairs as weapons, and one sustained injuries
serious enough to require a hospital visit. Since teachers working in the
prisons lack the security training provided to correctional officers, they feel
ill-equipped to deal with such dangers. Despite these problems, the emphasis placed on educating inmates under
twenty-one is to be commended. In contrast to the emphasis placed on juvenile
education, adult education gets fairly short shrift. Classes are given to adult
prisoners in the evenings on a voluntary basis. Almost all of the facilities visited by the Human Rights Watch/Hong Kong
Human Rights Monitor delegation had ample, well-stocked libraries. The two
libraries at Hei Ling Chau Addiction Treatment Centre, however, had just a few
cabinets of books; the CSD might want to consider expanding it. The exception to the general rule of inmate activity is the situation of
unsentenced, or remand prisoners. At Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre, Tai Lam
Centre for Women, and Pik Uk Correctional Institution, the Human Rights
Watch/Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor delegation found that unsentenced prisoners
have little or nothing to do besides sit and watch television, play board games,
or read the newspaper.(133) Women at Tai Lam, in fact, were assigned to tables
and required to sit at them all day, only getting up for meals, exercise, and
when they had permission to use the bathroom. This level of discipline seems
unjustifiably high for prisoners who are, after all, presumed innocent. The CSD employs two full-time chaplains who are responsible for coordinating
the activities of all faiths within the prison. All other religious work in the
prisons is done on a volunteer basis. The Human Rights Watch/Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor delegation heard no
allegations of a lack of religious freedom in the prisons. Chaplains stated
that the CSD is extremely cooperative and in no way interferes with their work
with prisoners.(134) Further accommodation of prisoners' religious beliefs
is evidenced in the Prison Rules, which make special provision for the
requirements of different religions, including Islam and Judaism.(135) Still, given that the vast majority of the prison population consists of
ethnic Chinese, many of whom may well ascribe to the Buddhist, Taoist or
Confucian tradition, there is a marked lack of traditional Chinese religious
activity in the prisons. The two official chaplains are Christian, as are many
of the volunteers. In only one prison did the Human Rights Watch/Hong Kong
Human Rights Monitor delegation see that prisoners are allowed to make small
Chinese shrines, which are otherwise so commonly found in the streets, shops,
and homes of Hong Kong. CSD policy, in accordance with the Standard Minimum Rules, is that prisoners
receive at least one hour of outdoor exercise per day. Because of the strains
caused by overcrowding, we heard that this hour has been somewhat eroded at
certain facilities, verging on forty minutes. |