NCJ Number
228006
Date Published
2007
Length
32 pages
Annotation
This report presents data on all persons admitted to Hong Kong's drug addiction treatment center (DATC) program in 2007.
Abstract
The data provided relate to their personal characteristics, family characteristics, residence, addiction, and criminal history. Data on personal characteristics address age at admission, place of birth, educational attainment, activity status, and occupation. Family characteristics include marital status and living arrangements. Residence characteristics are district of residence and type of accommodation. Addiction details cover age at first drug use, claimed causation and peer association at first drug use, types of drugs abused, daily cost of drugs, method of taking drugs, district of procurement of drugs, and length of addiction. The DATC plays a significant role in providing residential treatment for convicted drug addicts while offering Hong Kong courts an alternative to imprisoning drug addicts. The treatment involves three phases: restoration of physical health (medical care, work programs, and physical exercises); the removal of psychological and emotional dependence on drugs (individual and group counseling); and reintegration into the community (assistance by rehabilitation officers in finding employment and making appropriate living arrangements after release). During 2007, a total of 1,372 persons were admitted to the program; and 1,435 inmates had been discharged after treatment. Among the 1,438 persons who had completed supervision during the year, 789 were neither reconvicted or relapsed into drugs within the period of supervision (54.9 percent), a 1.4-percent decrease from 2006. 23 tables and 11 figures