ASSESSMENT AND TREATMENT OF WOMEN OFFENDERSIN HONG KONG
Chiu Siu Tsz

I. INTRODUCTION
In 2013,there were on average 9,200 persons daily being placed under the custody of the Hong Kong
Correctional Services Department (CSD), of which about 19 percent are women,about 3.7 percent are
elderly and about 6.8 percent are disabled. It is always a concern that the aforesaid personsʼneeds,
which are quite different from the majority,should never be overlooked despite the fact that they only
represent a fraction of the total penal population. To ensure that persons in custody with special needs
are treated fairly and equally during detention and imprisonment,CSD has continued to make the bestuse of available resources to provide them with appropriate programmes and services to meet their
physical, social, and psychological needs.
CSD recognizes that the success in rehabilitation of offenders requires not only quality custodialservices, comprehensive rehabilitation programmes and the determination of persons in custody, butalso the support and acceptance from the community. Therefore, CSD has closely collaborated with
non-government organizations (NGOs)and external parties to initiate tailor-made programmes for the
persons in custody with special needs. This collaboration not only enhances the rehabilitation services,
but also shows the acceptance from the community of the offenders and facilitates their reintegration
to the society.
This paper focuses on female persons in custody in the Hong Kong prison system and the trends andcharacteristics of the women admitted, leading to the understanding of the specific needs of thisparticular group. With the assessment of their individual needs, various programmes ranging from
custodial accommodation to supervision after discharge are provided to help the women offenders toreintegrate into the community and reduce their re-offending behaviour.

II. OBJECTIVE AND POLICY OF THE HONG KONG CORRECTIONALSERVICES DEPARTMENT
A. M ission and Objective
The Vision,M ission and Values statement of CSD and its motto “Support Rehabilitative Offenders
for a M ore Inclusive Society”sets out the manner in which penal institutions should be administered.
The M ission statement spells out that CSD is to protect the public and reduce crime, by providing asecure, safe, humane, decent and healthy environment for people in custody, opportunities for the
rehabilitation of offenders and working in collaboration with the community and other agencies. The
objective of the correctional services is to provide quality custodial services as well as timely,
appropriate and comprehensive rehabilitation services for the offenders to improve their psychologicalhealth, so as to help them reintegrate into society and lead law-abiding lives after discharge fromprison.
B. Policy on Equality
The correctional policy in the treatment of male and female persons in custodyis based on the Hong
Kong Prison Rules. Under the rules,male and female persons in custody should be held separately andprovided with equal standards of care in prison. In general, female and male persons in custody areprovided with facilities and treatment of equal standards. They are granted equality of treatment andaccess to opportunities for work, medical care,education,relevant vocational training,psychological
Principal Officer, Rehabilitation Unit, Correctional Service Department, Hong Kong.

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services and programmes conducive to their rehabilitation.

III. NUMBER AND CHARACTERISTICS OF FEMALE PERSONS IN CUSTODY
A. Trend in the Number and Proportion of Female Offenders
Similar to the characteristics of many prison systems around the world,the males in custody are in
the majority among the Hong Kong penal population.In the last decade,both male and female persons
in custody have gradually trended downward.The proportion of female persons in custody maintains
at around 20 percent. Table 1 shows the average daily penal population of male and female persons
in custody from 2004 to 2013.
Table 1:Average Daily Penal Population 2004‑2013
2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

Total

13,091

12,247

11,489

11,176

10,510

10,325

10,073

9,658

9,247

9,206

Male

10,274

9,667

9,165

8,979

8,408

8,181

8,059

7,820

7,534

7,474

Female

2,816

2,580

2,325

2,196

2,103

2,145

2,014

1,838

1,713

1,732

Female %

21.5%

21.1%

20.2%

19.6%

20%

20.8%

20%

19%

18.5%

18.8%

B. Types of Sentences for Female Offenders in 2013
In 2013,a total of 13,110 persons were sentenced and placed in CSDʼs custody,of which 3,821 persons
were women. The type of sentence and related number of female offenders are listed in Table 2.
Table 2:Admission of Female Offenders by Type of Sentence in 2013
Type of sentence

Number of Female Offenders

Imprisonment/Prison

3,492

Drug Addiction Treatment Centre

291

Training Centre

7

Rehabilitation Centre

31

Total

3,821

C. Criminal Background of Female Offenders
It is widely indicated that women generally do not commit the same offences as men. Statistics of2013 admission indicate that the vast majority of women in Hong Kong correctional institutions areconvicted for non-violent offences related to immigration laws such as staying and working without
employment visas. The type of offence and related number of female offenders are listed in Table 3.

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Table 3:Admission of Female Offenders by Type of Offence in 2013
Type of Offence

M ale

FemaleAgainst Lawful Authority
e.g. Unlawful society
Possession of offensive weapons415(4.5%)

118(3.1%)

Against Public M orality
e.g. Rape, Indecent assault
Keeping a vice establishment508(5.5%)

32(0.8%)

Against the Person
e.g. Murder, Wounding, Serious assault

510(5.5%)

66(1.7%)

Against Property
e.g. Robbery, Burglary, Theft, Deception

2,720(29.3%)

867(22.7%)

Against the Penal Codee.g. Possession of forged ID, Conspiracy

517(5.6%)

329(8.6%)

Against Local Laws
e.g. Remaining in HK unlawfully, Breaching of condition of stay,
Soliciting for immoral purpose, Publishing of obscene articles

2,594(27.9%)

1,985
(52%)

Drug Offences
e.g. Trafficking in Dangerous Drugs
Possession of Dangerous Drugs

2,025(21.8%)

424(11.1%)

9,289

3,821

Total

D. Socio-economic Characteristics of Female Persons in Custody
In the Hong Kong prison system, among the female persons in custody, apart from local Chinese,many of them are coming from mainland China such as illegal immigrants with low education and poor
background. They are easy victims for pandering groups who lead them into a life of prostitution andillicit activities. The socio-economic backgrounds of female persons in custody in Hong Kong arelisted as follows:
Table 4:Age Structure of female persons in custody (as of 29 M arch 2013)
Age

14‑20

21‑29

30‑39

40‑49

50‑59

＞60

−

Total

Female

111

366

531

445

180

37

1670

%

6.7%

21.9%

31.8%

26.6%

10.8%

2.2%

100%

Table 5:Marital Status of female persons in custody (as of 29 M arch 2013)
MaritalStatusSingleCo-habited/M arried

Separated

Divorced

WidowedUnknown

Total

Female

747

680

20

200

21

2

1,670

%

44.7%

40.7%

1.2%

12%

1.3%

0.1%

100%

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Table 6:Educational Attainment of female persons in custody (as of 29 M arch 2013)
EducationLevel

No
schoolingkindergarten

Lower
primaryUpper
primaryLower
secondaryUppersecondaryPostsecondary
and above

Total

Female

78

90

202

728

427

145

1,670

%

4.7%

5.4%

12.1%

43.6%

25.5%

8.7%

100%

Table 7:Occupation and Employment Status of female persons in custody(as of 29
M arch 2013)
Occupation

Female%M anagers/Professionals

10

0.6%

Associate professionals, technical & related workers

35

2.1%

Clerical & related workers

32

1.9%

Sales & service workers

91

5.5%

Elementary occupations
Labour, Production workers, other

189

11.3%

Unemployed

1,253

75%

Economically Inactive
e.g. Students, Housewife

60

3.6%

Total

1,670

100%

Table 8:Ethnicity of female persons in custody (as of 31 December 2013)
Ethnicity

Local Chinese

M ainland
ChineseTaiwanese

Other
Ethnicities

Total

Female

882

438

5

454

1,779

%

49.6%

24.6%

0.3%

25.5%

100%

IV. PARTICULAR NEEDS OF FEMALE PERSONS IN CUSTODY
A. Assistance and Counselling on Family Responsibilities and Relationships
The above statistics of Table 5 show that 40.7% of the female persons in custody co-habitate or are
married,14.5% of which are separated,divorced or widowed. Theyall share familyburden. In Chinese
culture,women are normally expected to be the sole or primary caretakers of their young children,andshare many family responsibilities such as meal preparation, house cleaning, etc. The custody may
greatly affect the female offendersʼfamily functioning;they may worry about their childrenʼ
s welfare,thus resulting in emotional harm because of family separation in addition to the adjustment problems
in the custodial environment. They need special attention to their emotional, psychological andfamily-relationship needs.
B. Care of Dependent Children in Correctional Institutions
In addition to the fact that 40.7% of the female persons in custody co-habitate or are married,theabove statistics of Table 4 indicate that 53.7% of them are between age 21‑39. For the case of pregnant
female persons in custody and incarcerated mothers with new born babies upon admission,there will
be a need for medical assistance in their baby delivery and baby nurturing. Quite often,these women
offenders are young mothers who lack effective parenting skills and have real difficulties in rearing

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their children independently. Therefore,appropriate assistance should be made available for them toensure the physical and psychological well-being of the children at risk.
C. Education and Vocational Training
Regarding the education level of female persons in custody, the statistics of Table 6 indicate that
65.8% of them are lower secondary or below. Without basic academic qualification,it may limit theirjob opportunities or it may be difficult for them to be promoted to managerial or senior posts. It isechoed with the statistics of their occupation that most of the female persons in custody are engaged
in elementary occupations such as labour, production workers, i.e. 11.3%, (see Table 7). With anobjective to develop the female persons in custody, education and vocational training are means forthem to prepare for further study or to become equipped with better job skills.
D. Employment AssistanceAs the above statistics of Table 7 reveal, about 75% of the female persons in custody are unemployed before admission; this is relatively high in comparison with the current Hong Kong unemployment rate of 3.1% (Jan-M ar 2014,Census and Statistics Department,Hong Kong). It may be dueto the low educational level or job skill level as stated before or their low motivation in engaging in
employment. Nevertheless, it reflects the need of employment assistance for them with a view toenhancing their work motivation,attitude and strengthening the competitiveness and employability inthe labour market.
E. Needs of M inor Ethnicities
According to the above statistics of Table 8, among the female persons in custody, 49.6% of them
are local Hong Kong Chinese,24.6% of them from mainland China and 0.3% ofthem from Taiwan. For
the persons in custody coming from mainland China, although they speak Mandarin ― but not
Cantonese as Hong Kong people― they do share common culture and language with local Chinese,areeasier to mix with local Chinese persons in custody and to communicate with correctional staff. On theother hand,for those non-Chinese persons in custody(25.5%),who share different language,culture andliving habits, particularly those who do not speak English, might experience greater social isolationand deserve more attention. Therefore,special arrangements for food,communication,etc.are neededin facilitating their adjustment in correctional institutions.

V. ASSESSM ENT OF FEMALE PERSONS IN CUSTODY
A. Risks and Needs Assessment
At present,Risks and Needs Assessment would be conducted for all local adult persons in custody
serving sentences of 12 months or above. “Risks”refers to a set of quantifiable historical factors suchas escape history, self-harm index, age, number of previous convictions, institutional experience,education level,triad membership and drug abuse experience,etc.which when summed up can be used
to predict the probability of re-offending behaviour. “Needs”refers to a set of personal/interpersonal
factors and behaviour associated with offending. Seven dynamic need domains would be assessed
including family/marital, employment, community functioning, associates, drug abuse, personal/emotional and criminal attitude. After the needs profile is formed,programme-matching services responding to the need area are provided.
B. M edical Assessment
Primary medical examination is conducted upon the admission of every female person in custodyby a CSD M edical Officer,i.e.doctor,for the purposes of understanding her medical and drug history
as well as detecting any medical significance, e.g. infectious disease. For those with a history of
prostitution,drug abuse with the habit of sharing needles with others,or having multiple sex partners,
they are advised to receive further medical screening, e.g. blood testing for HIV.

VI. TREATM ENT FOR FEMALE PERSONS IN CUSTODY
A. Accommodation
All accommodations provided by CSD to persons in custody are certified by the Commissioner tobe of adequate space,lighting,ventilation and fitting,as is requisite for health,and every accommoda-233

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tion is furnished with the means of enabling persons in custody to communicate with an officer of theinstitution at any time after incarceration. All cells and dormitories are well-equipped to meet the
hygiene and basic needs of persons in custody. Shower and toilet facilities are neatly provided for
persons in custody.
B. DietAll meals for persons in custodyare prepared bydesignated persons in custodyin the prison kitchen.
Different diet scales are provided to persons in custody according to their health condition, ethnic
group and religion. Currently, there are four main diet scales which include:(i) Asian Diet (rice as the staple food) for most Asians, which meets the needs of most of themainland Chinese and South East Asians;(ii) Indian Diet (Halal food)for most South Asians;(iii) European Diet (with bread and potatoes)for Western persons in custody;(iv) Vegetarian Diet for persons in custody who are concerned with their health.This diet meets theneeds of Buddhists also.
C. M edical Services
M ost of the female correctional facilities have a hospital with qualified medical personnel toprovide female persons in custody with primary medical treatment and healthcare services. Persons
requiring intensive medical care or specialist consultation are referred to public hospitals/outpatient
clinics of the Hospital Authority or the Department of Health for follow-up treatment.
If pregnancy or suspected pregnancy is revealed during the primary medical examination conductedupon admission, the M edical Officer may direct the pregnant person in custody to be located at the
Hospital Ward under constant medical supervision. Pre-natal and post-natal care are provided incorrectional institutions for females in custody, but babies are normally delivered in public hospitals.
A child born will be vaccinated after birth as the medical officer considers safe and desirable. The
child will receive health screening and equivalent healthcare services at an outside clinic at regularintervals.
D. Care for Dependent Children in Custody
CSD recognizes the need of an incarcerated mother to maintain a maternal bond with her child. To
encourage female persons in custody to take up their gender-specific child rearing responsibilities,
Prison Rules permit incarcerated mothers to nurse and keep their babies with them in prison until thebabies are nine months of age,and with the approval ofthe Commissioner ofCorrectional Service,until
the age of three. The incarcerated mother and her children are arranged to stay in a special ward incentre hospital with suitable nursing and health facilities. The mother is exempted from normal workso that she can spare herself fully for child-rearing. To assist the personal growth of children during
their stay in the prison,CSD also invites NGOs to provide tailor-made service for them. For example,
Playright Childrenʼ
s Play Association has delivered a play development programme, namely “HappyFace”, for infants and children in Lo Wu Correctional Institution (LWCI). The programme aims atenhancing childrenʼ
s physical, cognitive and emotional development, as well as strengthening theparent-child relationship through a series of play sessions.
E. Half Day Child Visit Programme
It is believed that early childhood is a significant period for a childʼs growth and development. Also,
taking into consideration that prolonged periods of physical separation may have detrimental effects
on the relationship between the children and the incarcerated mother,Half Day Child Visit Programmeis therefore provided as a channel for female persons in custody to maintain their relationship with
their offspring, and to reassure the latter of the motherʼs care and concern. Child Visit Centres withdecorated playrooms,adequate toys and books,are set up in female penal institutions for children up
to the age of six who pay visits to their incarcerated mothers. The aim of the programme is to enable
incarcerated mothers to maintain an intimate relationship with their children in order to pave the way

234157TH INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSEPARTICIPANTSʼPAPERS
for their future return to family.
F. Welfare and Counselling Services for Enhancing Family Relationships
CSD Rehabilitation Officers render welfare and counselling services to every female person incustody right from their admission, when they may be facing the most difficult time during custody.
Rehabilitation Officers cater for offendersʼwelfare needs such as making arrangements for them tomeet their family members, help them deal with their adjustment problems as well as cope withdifficulties arising from detention, and provide various rehabilitative programmes to meet theirrehabilitative needs. Towards the end of their imprisonment,Rehabilitation Officers will prepare themfor release by conducting pre-release reintegration orientation courses, and supplying them withinformation on community resources. For cases with special needs such as housing or financial
difficulties,they would be referred to appropriate government departments or social welfare organizations for follow-up support and services.
To strengthen the family ties of the incarcerated mothers,CSD supports the Society of Rehabilitation and Crime Prevention, Hong Kong (SRACP) to run a project, namely “Blue Bus”
. This project
aims to render emotional and social support to the children of imprisoned parents. With the provisionof services,children can be accompanied by the trained volunteers of SRACP to visit their incarcerated
mothers and attend parent-child programmes in prisons. Through the project of “Birthday Gift andWish Express”,the volunteers of SRACP will help the incarcerated mothers to celebrate and send thebirthday cakes,gifts and wishes to their children on the their birthdays. Also,a similar project named“Deliver Hope& Love”is also available for other nationʼ
s female persons in custody. This programmeenhances their family connections and mutual support during custody.
G. Psychosocial Services:the Psychological Gymnasium
To improve female offendersʼpsychological well-being and to change their offending behaviour,CSD Clinical Psychologists and trained officers provide them psychosocial counselling services andspecial treatment programmes such as the drug abuse programme. Recognizing that female offenders
differ from their male counterparts in terms of the causes of their offending behaviour,rehabilitationneeds and response style to treatment, CSD has established the first personal growth and emotion
treatment centre for adult female inmates, namely “Psychological Gymnasium”at LWCI in 2011 toaddress their gender-specific risks and needs. This Psychological Gymnasium takes the lead in
introducing positive psychotherapy under a systematic approach to provide psychological services tooffenders. It offers an orientation programme of two to four weeks to female inmates with personalor emotional problems and risk of re-offending. Treatments are provided in the form of group therapy
and in-depth psychological coaching, with focus on empowering participants to develop positive
thinking, to enhance their interpersonal and mood management skills, and to cope with their trauma
and emotional problems. The musical instruments and drawing facilities are also used for strengthening the treatment effect. The establishment of this Psychological Gymnasium marks a new era in thedevelopment of rehabilitation services in correctional settings.
H. Services Provided by NGOs, External Parties and Volunteers
Apart from providing high quality custodial services and comprehensive programmes, CSD fullyrecognizes that the successful reintegration of offenders to society could not be achieved without theengagement of the public in the reintegration process. CSD has also incorporated “working incollaboration with the community and other agencies”into its M ission statement to reflect this totalcommitment in our work in 2010. At present,more than 2,000 volunteers from over 80 NGOs,charities
and religious bodies are providing services from counselling to cultural, religious and recreational
activities to penal institutions including female institutions. For example,CSD has collaborated with
Hong Kong Repertory Theatre and Amore Pacific to run a drama group and a beauty class,respectively, in LWCI.
To help the rehabilitation of offenders,the CSD Rehabilitation Volunteer Group was set up in early
2004 with about 260 members. It comprises professionals like teachers,social workers and accountants,
and retirees and university students. They have conducted courses in languages, computer studies,accounting and post-secondary tutorial. They have also run cultural and interest classes,such as yoga,
handicraft, hair-cutting, music and pencil sketching for female persons in custody. They also partici-

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pate in the publicity programmes on appealing for support for offendersʼrehabilitation and community
services.
I. Services for Mainland China, Ethnic Minorities and other NationalitiesʼFemale Persons in
Custody
Apart from the local persons in custody, CSD also recognizes that mainland Chinese persons incustody and persons in custody of other nationalities form a significant portion of the female penal
population. To ensure that their needs are taken care of, resources are allocated to enhance therehabilitation services for these female offenders. Rehabilitation services including hobby classes suchas Basic English,Cantonese language,African drum,color pencil sketching,Chinese calligraphy,skincare and music group activities are provided to meet their special needs and to enhance inclusivenessamong ethnic minorities and other nationalities, persons in custody and local persons in custody.
J. Education
With a view to enhancing offendersʼbasic academic standards and helping them to obtain recognized academic qualification necessary for further studies after their discharge and to thereby help
them reintegrate into the community, CSD provides half-day compulsory education programmes foryoung female offenders under the age of 21. To prepare young offenders for further education or
employment, accredited public examination such as the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education
Examination, General Certificate of Education Examinations (London Examinations), Hong Kong
Institute of Accredited Accounting Technicians Examinations and London Chamber of Commerce &Industry International Qualifications are arranged for them. CSD also provides guidance and assistance to adult female persons in custody participating in voluntary educational pursuits such as
distance learning courses run by the Open University of Hong Kong and sitting for accredited public
examinations like the City and Guilds International Examinations. Female offenders seeking an
education may obtain financial assistance from the PrisonersʼEducation Trust Fund, the Prisonersʼ
Education Subsidy Fund and the Care of Rehabilitated Offenders Association Foundation,etc.,which
are all funded with charitable donations.
K. Vocational Training
Provision of vocational training to persons in custody has been an important component of therehabilitation regime. A series of diversified and market-oriented vocational training programmeswith recognized accreditation are organized for both young and adult female persons in custody tostrengthen their capability. Through the training, female offenders can acquire useful and marketoriented occupational skills and accredited qualification so as to enhance their employability andincrease the likelihood of securing a gainful job after discharge, thus facilitating their successful
reintegration into society. For young female persons in custody, CSD provides half-day compulsory
technical, commercial and services training. Equal importance is placed on theoretical and practicalaspects of the curriculum which prepares them to pursue further training after release. For adultfemale persons in custody, CSD provides pre-release vocational training courses on a full-time andpart-time voluntary basis in adult female institutions. As the most recent initiative,CSD has enlisted
the cooperation of the Employees Retraining Board and NGOs like Christian Action to provide
vocational training courses such as catering and banquet attendant, laundry assistant, cosmetician
assistant, environmental hygiene, cleaning worker and webpage design, etc. for female persons incustody. The training is provided to meet the demands of society and standards recognized byinternational vocational authorities. For example, training courses such as beauty care, food andbeverage services,Chinese cooking theory and practice,retail and office operation and commercial andselling, etc. are accredited by the City and Guilds and Vocational Training Council.
L. Pre-release Employment Services
CSD is devoted to providing employment opportunities for persons in custody and enhancing theiremployability after release. To further enhance the pre-release employment services,job vacancies ofvarious trades from ”Caring Employers”will be regularly referred to female persons in custody. Suchjob vacancies would be displayed on the Light Emitted Diode (LED) Display Boards and posted inprominent places in institutions for the information of persons in custody. Such information should
also be conveyed to persons in custody during the Induction Programme and Pre-release Reintegration
Programme. Interested female persons in custody, who will be discharged within three months, may

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approach Rehabilitation Officers for application forms. Job interviews conducted by the potential
employers would be arranged by rehabilitation staff on an as-need basis.
M .Supervision
CSD provides statutory supervision for young female offenders,persons released from the Rehabilitation Centre, Training Centre or Drug Addiction Treatment Centre and female adult offenders
released under various supervision schemes. The service is an integral part of the rehabilitative
programmes to assist offenders in reintegrating into society and leading law-abiding lives upon release.
Rehabilitation Officers render appropriate support and guidance to persons in custody to help them beaware of their inadequacies and prepare for challenges ahead upon discharge. Through regularcontacts and visits during the supervision period, they will guide and assist supervisees for reintegration.

VII. CONCLUSION
CSD is committed to respect the special needs of persons in custody of different gender groups. It
understands that female persons in custody may experience different challenges from the male persons
in custody. They have adjustment problems in many aspects. Female persons in custody, without
proper relief, may resort to disorderly behaviour, which is detrimental to their rehabilitation. As aresult,CSD has taken various measures to help these persons in custody adapt to the prison setting andreintegrate into the community. CSD has also liaised with many NGOs and external parties to provide
appropriate services for female persons in custody. CSD understands that much has to be done to meetthe diverse needs of all persons in custody in a prison, and will strike a good balance among theinterests of persons in custody and prison management.

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