Tai Tam Gap Correctional Institution

Tai Tam Gap Correctional Institution
Traditional Chinese大潭峽懲教所
Simplified Chinese大潭峡惩教所
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinDà Tán Xiá Chéngjiāosuǒ
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutpingdaai6 taam4 haap6 cing4 gaau3 so2

Tai Tam Gap Correctional Institution (Chinese: 大潭峽懲教所) is a prison in Eastern District, Hong Kong, operated by Hong Kong Correctional Services.

The Standard stated that it was in Shek O.[1]

It opened on 1 May 1980. At the time, it was a prison for young girls and women.[2] 14 was the minimum age.[3] The prison then closed on 28 May 2008. [4]

The prison was re-opened on 26 March 2014 and later closed on 6 June 2018.[4]

In 2020, the prison service announced that it would make Tai Tam Gap the first "smart prison" in the territory.[1]

On 28 May 2021, Tai Tam Gap Correctional Institution was re-commissioned as an immigration detention centre for male adult immigration detainees,[4] in particular, the centre "is used for the detention of non-refoulement claimants".[5]

The government stated that detainees held at TGCI pose ‘security risks’.[6] Unlike the other two immigration detention facilities in Hong Kong, TGCI is run by the prison authority, the Hong Kong Correctional Services,[4] and not the Immigration Department.

As part of the ‘smart prison’ initiative, TGCI detainees are required to wear wristbands that collect biometric data,[7] including heartrate, location, and movement data.[1][8]

TGCI has a capacity of 160 detainees.[4] On 28 February 2022, there were 111 detainees held at TGCI.[9]

On 3 December 2021, Secretary for Security Chris Tang sharply criticized Stand News over its reporting on TGCI and other smart prisons. Stand News rejected the accusations.[10]

  1. ^ a b c Mok, Maisy (2020-12-21). "First 'smart prison' at Tai tam". The Standard. Retrieved 2020-12-21.
  2. ^ "1950s to 1990s". Hong Kong Correctional Services. Retrieved 2020-12-21.
  3. ^ "Prison act". South China Morning Post. 1999-12-12. Retrieved 2020-12-21.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Tai Tam Gap Correctional Institution". www.csd.gov.hk. Retrieved 2022-05-16.
  5. ^ "LegCo Panel on Security visits Tai Tam Gap Correctional Institution (with photos)". www.info.gov.hk. Retrieved 2022-05-16.
  6. ^ "CSD's statement in response to individual media's unfounded reports on Tai Tam Gap Correctional Institution". www.info.gov.hk. Retrieved 2022-05-19.
  7. ^ Cheng, Selina (2021-09-25). "The never-ending sentence of Vo Van Hung, the Vietnamese refugee stuck behind bars in Hong Kong". Hong Kong Free Press HKFP. Retrieved 2022-05-19.
  8. ^ "Bio-tracked, Mistreated, Hog-tied: Immigration Detention in East Asia in 2021". thediplomat.com. Retrieved 2022-05-19.
  9. ^ "Data Visualizations". Immigration Detention in Hong Kong. 2021-09-23. Retrieved 2022-05-19.
  10. ^ "Chris Tang slams Stand News for 'demonising' reports". RTHK. 2021-12-03. Retrieved 2023-02-01.