Introduction

This report is a summary of the proceedings of the Twentieth Asian and Pacific Conference (APCCA) held in Sydney, Australia, over the period 5 to 11 November 2000. The conference was attended by senior representatives of correctional services of 20 nations or territories in the Asia and Pacific region, generally the Chief Executive, Commissioner or Director General responsible for corrections in each nation or territory. The conference was hosted by Dr Leo Keliher, Commissioner, Department of Corrective Services of New South Wales and was officially opened by the Attorney General and Minister for Corrective Services the Hon. Bob Debus.

The first meeting of the APCCA was held in Hong Kong in 1980. The idea for that meeting developed from discussions between the then Director of the Australian Institute of Criminology and the then Commissioner of the Hong Kong Prison Service. Since 1980 the conference has assembled each year, apart from 1990. For most of that period the conference was assisted by the Australian Institute of Criminology but since 1993 the conference has been supported by the APCCA Coordinator in his private capacity.

After the first assembly of the conference in Hong Kong, in subsequent years the conference has assembled in Bangkok, Tokyo, New Zealand, Tonga, Fiji, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Australia (New South Wales and Victoria), India, China (Beijing), Australia (South Australia), Hong Kong, Australia (Northern Territory), Japan, New Zealand, Malaysia, Canada and China (Shanghai). Over this period the conference has developed a significant history of traditions or conventional practices, even though it has no formal constitution or rules of procedure. For example, it has always been accepted that the host has the right to select those to be invited. Furthermore, the conference is relatively inexpensive as all the participants pay for their own air fares and accommodation.

As a matter of tradition, however, the host nation provides some hospitality as well as an appropriate venue for the formal meetings. At this conference extensive and generous hospitality was provided by the New South Wales Department of Corrective Services and by sponsors: Abakus - Elmotech, Chubb Security, NSW Corrective Services Industries and the Government of the Northern Territory. Acknowledgment is also given to AusAID - International Seminar Support Scheme, which assisted a number of delegates attend the conference by way of financial aid.

It should also be acknowledged that Discussion Papers were received from Micronesia, Sri Lanka and Fiji. Unfortunately, Delegates from those countries were unable to attend the Conference.

Another tradition that has developed within the framework of the APCCA is that of visiting correctional institutions, especially if they are related to the agenda items under discussion. Visits to institutions are seen as a useful complement to formal discussions and are generally greatly appreciated by participants as a practical method of exchanging ideas.

For the twentieth conference in Sydney visits were arranged to the Berrima Correctional Centre, the Emu Plains Women's Correctional Centre and the Long Bay Correctional Complex. Conference delegates were also given an opportunity to inspect the site of the Olympic Games and also to enjoy a cruise on Sydney Harbour.

During the period of the conference, two meetings of the APCCA Advisory Committee were held. A report of the first of these meetings is included in this report as Appendix E, and the outcomes of the second meeting is incorporated in the report of the final APCCA Business session of the full conference.

A further tradition of the APCCA that was established at the first meeting in 1980 is for a summary report to be drafted while the conference is in progress. Following that practice, a draft report was circulated to all delegates at the beginning of the final business session. This was based on the oral presentations made by delegates and also on the written national discussion papers prepared by all participating nations and territories. This report is an edited and extended version of the original draft report.