NCJ Number
133832
Date Published
1991
Length
27 pages
Annotation
Hong Kong has two correctional systems, a prison system that superficially resembles the British penal system of the 1960's and that has been affected by recent policy changes, and a refugee camp system that has developed in response to the influx of Vietnamese refugees.
Abstract
Hong Kong's law is similar to that of Great Britain, but it has been codified. The prison system holds criminal offenders and, since 1988, illegal immigrants. It is generally oriented toward rehabilitative goals, although its conditions are harsh due to efforts at control and inmate discipline. In contrast, the refugee camps hold both refugees and those awaiting screening for refugee status. They represent only a human warehousing operation, and their harsh conditions result from the lack of control and discipline. Overcrowding is an increasing problem, and camp inmates appear to be increasingly prisonized in their responses to authority. Although Great Britain has offered places for some of the refugees and others may be repatriated to Vietnam, most will remain in Hong Kong and additional refugees are likely to arrive. The refugees and the numbers of illegal immigrants in prisons make unlikely any immediate improvements in the living conditions in the camps or the strict policies under which prisons are managed. Tables and 24 references