NCJ Number
151609
Date Published
1994
Length
31 pages
Annotation
This report describes the characteristics of drug addicts admitted in 1993 to the drug treatment program operated by the Hong Kong Correctional Services Department under the Drug Addiction Treatment Centers Ordinance enacted in 1969.
Abstract
The program provides residential treatment for convicted drug addicts and also offers the courts an alternative to prison for addicts. The length of treatment ranges from 2 to 12 months. The average length of stay for young adults released in 1993 was 5 months and 27 days; for adult addicts, it was 5 months and 19 days. In 1993, 2,083 persons were admitted to the mandatory treatment program, an increase of 21 percent over 1992. About 20 percent of the persons admitted were ages 14-20; 88 percent were males. Ninety-two percent of the youths and 74 percent of the adults were born in Hong Kong. About half of the male drug dependents were production workers or laborers; another 24 percent were involved in service or entertainment businesses. Fifty-nine percent of the females reported that they were homemakers or unemployed; 23 percent were employed in service or entertainment businesses, including one-third who were prostitutes or dance hostesses. Ninety-eight percent of the youths and 64 percent of the adults were single. Figures, tables, and additional descriptions of characteristics