PERSONS IN CUSTODY
Understanding detention, institutions and legal access.
Remand and imprisonment place a person within a regulated custodial system administered by the Correctional Services Department. The institution, visit arrangements and legal needs differ according to the person's status and circumstances.
Timely legal advice remains important after a person enters custody. Legal visits allow instructions to be taken confidentially and the defence to continue preparing for bail, trial, sentence or appeal.
REMAND AND IMPRISONMENT
Detention and custody in Hong Kong
A person who is refused bail, remanded in custody pending a report or sentence, or sentenced to imprisonment will normally be placed in an institution managed by the Hong Kong Correctional Services Department (CSD).
Persons arrested in connection with extradition or surrender proceedings may also be remanded in custody, subject to the court's decision on bail and the applicable statutory framework. Although a court may occasionally direct short-term detention in Police or ICAC custody for a particular purpose, the usual remand order is custody in a CSD institution.
THE CSD NETWORK
Types of correctional facilities
CSD operates a network of institutions serving different categories of persons in custody, security requirements and rehabilitation needs.
Adult men and women are accommodated in separate institutions or designated units, with security classification and remand or convicted status taken into account.
Dedicated institutions accommodate young persons, including those remanded in custody or sentenced under imprisonment, detention, training or rehabilitation centre regimes.
Specialist centres provide compulsory treatment and rehabilitation under the statutory drug addiction treatment framework.
Transitional facilities support eligible persons approaching release and assist their gradual reintegration into the community.
CSD operates custodial medical facilities and secure wards, including specialist psychiatric provision and custodial wards in designated public hospitals.
SELECTED INSTITUTIONS
Major CSD institutions
The institution in which a person is held depends on factors including sex, age, remand or convicted status, sentence, security classification, health and operational requirements. Some of the well-known prisons in Hong Kong include:
Hong Kong's largest maximum-security prison. It accommodates adult men serving life or long-term sentences and may also accommodate persons awaiting trial.
The principal reception centre for adult men awaiting trial and newly convicted persons pending classification and allocation to another institution.
Hong Kong's largest correctional institution for adult women, with minimum- and medium-security accommodation for convicted and remand persons in custody.
A maximum-security institution on Lantau Island accommodating adult men serving medium-to-long sentences, including life imprisonment.
A medium-security institution for adult men on Lantau Island, with correctional, vocational and rehabilitation programmes.
FAMILY CONTACT
Family and social visits
CSD permits general visits by declared relatives and friends. The frequency, duration and number of visitors differ between persons on remand and convicted persons.
According to the current CSD arrangements, a remand person may receive one general visit each day for up to 15 minutes, while a convicted person may ordinarily receive two general visits each month for up to 30 minutes. Advance booking and video visits are available through the General Visit e-Services Platform, subject to eligibility, consent and the arrangements of the institution concerned.
HOW MCS CAN ASSIST
Legal visits and advice in custody
MCS conducts legal visits at CSD institutions throughout Hong Kong. We may be instructed by the person in custody or contacted by relatives or friends seeking urgent legal assistance on their behalf.
During legal visits, we can obtain detailed instructions, explain the progress of the case and upcoming court dates, advise on bail and variation applications, review the prosecution evidence, prepare the defence and coordinate with counsel where required. For a person facing an extended period on remand, regular communication with the legal team is essential to effective preparation.
OFFICIAL INFORMATION