The eighteenth meeting of the Asian and Pacific Conference of Correctional Administrators (18th APCCA) held in Vancouver, Canada from 18 to 23 October 1998, was "a remarkable achievement', according to the APCCA Coordinator, Professor David Biles. "Bearing in mind that the hosts had only approximately four months to organize the conference after the withdrawal of Indonesia, it was quite remarkable that every aspect of the conference was outstandingly successful", he said.
With official delegations from twenty nations or territories, the conference was almost as large as any that had ever been held. For the first time, a delegation of three people from Mongolia participated in the conference. Other delegations were from: Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, China, Fiji, Hong Kong (China), India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. Together they represented almost exactly half of the total population of the world.
Conference delegates were welcomed by Mr. Ole lngstrup, Commissioner of the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC), and the working sessions of the conference were chaired by Mr. Pieter de Vink, Deputy Commissioner of the Pacific region of CSC. The conference organizer was Mr. Robert T. Lusk, who was assisted by a small but hardworking and enthusiastic band of helpers.
The substantive agenda items discussed at the conference were:
The conference also included a number of sessions devoted to APCCA business, which included a report from the Finance Sub-Committee convened by Mr. Raymond Lai from Hong Kong (China). There were also two meetings of the APCCA Advisory Committee.
Following a long-established APCCA tradition, as a complement to the formal conference discussions, visits were arranged to a number of correctional institutions. For delegates to the 18th APCCA, visits were arranged to the Regional Health Centre, William Head Institution and the Sumas Community Correctional Centre.
A draft report of the conference, prepared by Messrs. David Biles and Barry Apsey (who took the place of Professor Richard Harding for this purpose), was distributed to all delegates before the conference closed. The conference organizers have distributed the final version of the report.
In the last APCCA Newsletter there was a short article on the International Conference, "Beyond Prisons" hosted by the Correctional Service of Canada with the support of Queen's University, Kingston, and the Canadian International Development Agency.
That Conference unanimously accepted a resolution calling for the establishment of an organization to promote best correctional practices, encourage research, and enhance public understanding of correctional issues. As a function of the resolution, in September 1998 in Toronto, Ontario Mr. Ole Ingstrup, Commissioner of the Correctional Service of Canada, gathered together an international cross-section of criminal justice professionals to consider the Kingston resolution.
The upshot has been the formation of a new organization, the International Corrections and Prisons Association dedicated to the provision of a forum for criminal justice professionals to join in a dialogue and to share ideas and practices aimed at advancing professional corrections.
Under the guidance of a multi-national board of directors the new organization if dedicated "to contribute to public safety and healthier communities by encouraging and enabling best correctional practices in prisons and outside communities".
The new organization has set an ambitious agenda for action to meet this mandate. The organization is committed to:
Further information and/or membership
applications can be obtained by contacting-.
The International Corrections and Prisons Association
340 Laurier Avenue West
10th Floor
Oftawa, Ontario
K1A OP9
Canada
Fax: 613 943-7844
Web site: http://www.icpa.ca
At the conclusion of the 18th APCCA in Vancouver, the leader of the delegation from the People's Republic of China, Mr. Du Zhongxing, confirmed the offer made previously to host the 19th APCCA in Shanghai in October 1999. This confirmation was warmly greeted with acclamation by all of the delegates at the conference.
In a meeting with the APCCA Coordinator, Professor David Biles, after the conference in Vancouver, Mr. Du explained that the Chinese Ministry of Justice places great importance on the conference, and that a high-ranking conference organizing committee, with senior officials both from Beijing and Shanghai, had already been established. He also explained that the principal contact person for the conference would be Ms. Bai Ping, who is the Deputy Director of the International Division of the Foreign Affairs Department and the Ministry of Justice. Her contact numbers are telephone: +86 10 6520 5231 and fax +86 10 6594 1991.
Mr. Du also informed Professor Biles that the dates of the conference would be from Sunday 24 October to Friday 29 October. Further information about the location of the conference, the discussion guide and the detailed program will be available in due course. Professor Biles will visit Beijing in May or June 1999 to assist with the planning for the conference.
* * * * *
ANNOUNCEMENT
DATES FOR 20th APCCA FIXED
The New South Wales
Department of Corrective Service
has announced that the
20th APCCA in Sydney
will be held from 5 to 11
November 2000
* * * * *
After the conclusion of the 18th APCCA in Vancouver, the APCCA Coordinator Professor David Biles and Mrs. Julie Biles, paid a brief visit to Hong Kong (China). During the visit, Professor Biles was the guest speaker at the Commissioner's Luncheon Club of the Hong Kong Correctional Service, hosted by Mr. Raymond Lai, the Commissioner.
In his address, Professor Biles expressed his appreciation for the commitment to and outstanding participation in the Asian and Pacific Conference of Correctional Administrators shown by the representatives of the Hong Kong Correctional Service. He also spoke of the work in which he was involved with the Charles Sturt University in New South Wales, Australia in the development of higher level courses in correctional administration and management.
He concluded his address by presenting a summary of the major finding of a recently competed research project in Victoria, Australia, which showed that offenders serving community correctional orders, such as probation and parole, had a much higher probability of death from all causes than did offenders in prison or non-offenders in the general community.
As a memento of the visit, Commissioner Raymond Lai presented Professor Biles and Mrs. Biles with a hand carved model of a Chinese sailing junk.
A fiddler may fiddle and a judge may judge, but it is hard to do both. Canadian judge Ken Peters had just played the fiddler in the musical Fiddler on the Roof when he had to disqualify himself from a trial because the defense lawyer played in the same production.
At a meeting of the APCCA Finance Committee held in Sydney, Australia on April 19, 1999 approval was given by the Committee to a draft Memorandum of Understanding for the Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) to establish and maintain an Internet web site for the APCCA. The meeting was convened by Mr. Raymond Lai from Hong Kong and attended by Dr. Leo Keliher from New South Wales and Mr. Mark Byers from New Zealand. The APCCA Coordinator, Professor David Biles was also present.
The Finance Committee approved the expenditure of $4000 U.S. for the first years and $2700 U.S. each year for the second and third years for the AIC to do the necessary work. The web site, which should be operational before the 19th APCCA in Shanghai in October 1999, will complement the written report of each conference and will include an electronic version of the APCCA newsletter. At a later stage it is possible, if participating delegations agree, that the national discussion papers prepared for each conference could be retrievable from the site. Mr. John Myrtle, the Principal Librarian at the AIC, will manage the site. The address of the site has not yet been determined.
National Institute of Corrections
http://www.nicic.org
This is the web site for the Information Center at the US National Institute of
Corrections. The web site describes Information Centre services, lists
downloadable publications, and features a searchable database of more than 1,500
publications.
The web site also answers frequently asked
questions received by the Information Center. A "what's new" section highlights
web developments and other activities, and "NetConnections" offers internet
links of special interests to corrections practitioners.
New South Wales Department of Corrective Services
http://www.dcs.nsw.gov.au
The New South Wales Department of Corrective Services web site was launched by
Commissioner, Leo Keliher in February 1999. The site contains links to general
data about the Department, details of the State's correctional facilities,
employment opportunities in corrections, Corrective Services Industries, the
Probation and Parole Service, related links as well as a search facility. It
also contains the latest Annual Report and the Departmental Code of Conduct.
Corrections Today
"Corrections Today" is published seven times a year by the American Correctional
Association.
It is probably the pre-eminent general interest magazine for corrections professionals in the world today, and has been published continuously for many years.
The magazine contains news of recent correctional developments, mainly in American and Canadian jurisdictions, with occasional international coverage. It has regular feature issues on such topics as prison health, prison industries and prison architecture, with many interesting articles contributed by experts in the field.
How to Subscribe.-
Annual subscription rate: $(US) 25.00
Telephone: 1 301 918 1800
Mail: American Correctional Association
4380 Forbes Boulevard
Lanham
Maryland 20706-4322
USA
Note: the subscription also includes receipt of a newsletter titled "On the
Line", which is issued five times a year.
Keynote
"Keynote" is the quarterly bulletin of the Singapore Prison Service.
Produced in an attractive magazine-style format, with numerous colour photographs, the publication contains reports and pictures of correctional developments, news of staff achievements and new staff appointments, and information about staff social and sporting activities.
For further information, please contact
Geraldine Tan
Head (Public Affairs)
Singapore Prisons Department
Telephone: 65 545 8313
Fax: 65 542 0425
Mail: 407 Upper Changi Road
North, 20km
Singapore 507658
Unit Management in Prisons and Jails
This new American Correctional Association title examines the various facets of
the unit management model of correctional administration. The author introduces
the concepts of unit management and the "Ten Commandments" of unit management.
Some of the topics discussed include managing unit management, getting into unit
management, writing the unit plan, internal classification, and effectiveness
studies. There is an extensive bibliography, and a series of practical and
detailed appendices on implementing a unit management regime in a correctional
setting.
This book provides a thorough and practical guide to the unit management model of prison direction.
Further information:
Written by Dr. Robert B. Levinson, who began employment in corrections more than forty years ago.
First published in September 1998 by the American Correctional Association. Paperback, $(US) 29.95. ISBN 1 56991 0790. Available from the American Correctional Association, 4380 Forbes Boulevard, Lanham, Maryland 20706-4322, USA.
At the end of the meeting of the APCCA Finance Committee of April 19, 1999 Mr. Raymond Lai Ming-kee, Commissioner of Correctional Service in Hong Kong, announced that he is to retire at the end of April 1999. In making this announcement, he had received from the APCCA in establishing contacts, which had contributed to the development of the Hong Kong correctional system. He said that when the APCCA first met in 1980 he was a young superintendent and he saw the unique value of APCCA. Since that time he had always been one of its strongest supporters.
All of his friends throughout the Asia and Pacific region wish Raymond a long, healthy and happy retirement!
Mr. Benny NG Ching Kwok has succeeded Mr. Raymond Lai Ming-kee as the Commissioner of Correctional Services of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. He was appointed on May 1, 1999. Mr. NG was the Director of Operations of the Hong Kong Police until his present appointment. In a recent letter to the APCCA Coordinator, Mr. NG sent his greetings to all APCCA members and he pledged Hong Kong's continuing support and participation in the APCCA.
Mr. Barry Apsey, Queensland Corrective Services Commissioner (QCSC) Director General, resigned from his position in April 1999. Barry has been appointed Chief Executive, Emergency Services Administrative Unit in South Australia. Corrective Services Minister Tom Barton congratulated Barry on his new appointment, and commented: "Barry guided QCSC during a very difficult period when prisoner numbers were going through the roof and several high profile escapes had caused turmoil in the organization. At all times, Barry was a dedicated and hard-working administrator who was able to put in place significant reforms and improvements. The Queensland Government wishes Barry well in his career in South Australia". Mr. Frank Peach has been appointed as Director-General of the new Queensland Department of Corrective Services
Mr. John Van Groningen, former Commissioner, Correctional Services in Victoria, Australia has been appointed to the full-time position of Adjunct Professor in the Centre for Police and Justice Studies at Monash University in Victoria. John's new contact address is PO Box 197, Caulfield East, Victoria 3145, Australia or telephone (03) 9903 2476 or e-mail John.VanGroningen@arts.monash.edu.au.
Leaping Ahead
A Thai police patrolman who attempted to jump over a ditch and failed, fell on
top of two men who turned out to be escaped prisoners. He promptly arrested the
two prisoners who had been hiding in the ditch, according to The Nation
newspaper.
Incorrect Analysis
Michael Horne's nightmare began when his grandmother's ashes tested positive for
drugs. Now he is suing the city of San Antonio, USA, charging that a police
mistake landed him in jail for a month and cost him his job, his truck and his
apartment.
Police found the ashes in an envelope in
Horne's truck. The Narcotics Unit tested the powder at the scene and declared
that it was speed. Horne was behind bars for a month before laboratory tests
showed that the ashes were human remains.
Jumping to Conclusions
A constable stopped a car during a police check in Birmingham, England recently.
He asked the driver for his name, which was given. The constable then
immediately placed him under arrest and said "Do you know how I knew you were
giving false details? The initials on your belt say CK and your initials are
given as DE". "That's all very well", said the driver, "but the belt is made by
Calvin Klein".
Newsletter published by:
Correctional Service of Canada
Regional Headquarters Pacific
P.O. Box 4500
32560 Simon Avenue
Abbotsford, British Columbia
V2T 5L7
CANADA
Contact: Robert Lusk
Phone: 1 604 870 2671
Fax: 1 604 870 2430
Contributions:
David Biles
Malcolm Feiner
Robert Lusk
Production:
Cheryl Young
Kristina Graham
Paul Belanger