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Summary

Gray, Patricia (1998). Community corrections and the experiences of young male offenders in the Hong Kong youth justice system Journal of Social Policy 28 (October): 577-594.

In this article, Gray compares and contrasts England and Hong Kong in terms of "deinstitutionalization" and "decarceration" in youth justice policies. Because of legal changes, the number of juvenile offenders sentenced to custody fell noticeably in England in the 1980s and early 1990s. In contrast, and despite the influence of English legislation and policies, large numbers of juvenile and young adult male offenders continue to be placed in residential and custodial institutions in Hong Kong. To explore this situation, Gray looks at the following subjects: deinstitutionalization, decarceration, and the collapse of the rehabilitative ideal in the West; the concept of rehabilitation in Hong Kong; prospects for a developmental approach to youth justice in Hong Kong; and possible paths to community-based rehabilitation programs within the cultural context of Hong Kong.

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