On 19 September, 34 students and teachers of the Cheong Kun Lun College and Stanley Ho East Asia College of the University of Macau visited the Correctional Services Bureau, for a forum with our leadership and management personnel, exploring topics regarding community support and acceptance for social reintegration of offenders. Furthermore, the students and teachers went on a tour of the facilities of Coloane Prison, furthering their understanding of its operation and the education and vocational training for inmates.

Some students mentioned how the activity significantly changed their overall impression of corrections and deepened their knowledge of the Prison’s operation, which contrasted the depictions on television. Other students believed that the Bureau could more effectively utilize online platforms to disseminate accurate information regarding Coloane Prison and the Youth Correctional Institution to members of the public, as this would shed a more positive light on the Bureau’s image and help raise more support and recognition of correctional services.

The Bureau organized this forum in hopes students could understand that aside from self-reflection and diligent learning, the rehabilitation of inmates and juvenile delinquents also requires the help of young people to promote the message of acceptance and support among friends and in the society.