More than 250 scholars, students and professionals working in the criminal justice system joined a sharing forum titled “Gripping Insights: Recent psychological research on Hong Kong corrections” organised by both the Department of Social and Behavioural Sciences (SS) at City University of Hong Kong (CityU) and the Correctional Services Department (CSD) on 30 May.

The forum, which was officiated by Professor Freddy Boey Yin Chiang, President of CityU, and Mr Wong Kwok-hing, Commissioner of Correctional Services, introduced the book Gripping Insights: Recent Psychological Research on Hong Kong Corrections newly published by CSD.

This publication contains 11 academic articles based on the professional knowledge and experience of CSD clinical psychologists. They cover the psychological characteristics and different treatment for sex offenders, female and male persons in custody, family relationships of young persons in custody, the psychological distress of elderly persons in custody, self-harm risk management, and the application of virtual reality technology to psychological treatment.

 

In his opening address, President Boey said that he was happy to see CityU’s team putting their research to great use in Hong Kong society and that he looked forward to more collaborations with CSD.

“A university belongs to the society from which it comes, and no less CityU belongs to the society of Hong Kong people. When we do research, it cannot be just world-breaking, high-impact research. It must also be relevant research. There is applied research and there is yet to be applied research, and we must always try to connect what we do as professors and academics to how society will benefit,” he said.

Mr Wong said in his opening speech that CSD had played an important role in the rehabilitation journey of custody and had emphasised evidence-based practice for 25 years since the Rehabilitation Division of CSD was established. He added that the forum aimed to share the essence of the new book and provide a platform for meaningful dialogue between clinical psychologists, academics and university students, hoping to provide momentum for more collaboration opportunities with CSD.

Professor Samuel Ho Mun-yin, Head of SS, senior clinical psychologists from CSD, and student representatives explored aspects of recent psychological research on Hong Kong Corrections during the dialogue session at the event.