28Th Asian and Pacific Conference of Correctional Administrators

28th Asian and Pacific Conference of Correctional Administrators 23rd to 28th November 2008 Langkawi, Malaysia By Neil Morgan and Irene Morgan (in collaboration with the Malaysian Prison Department and the APCCA Secretariat) CONTENTS Page HISTORY AND ROLE OF APCCA 1 OPENING CEREMONY AND OFFICIAL SPEECHES 5 Agenda Item 1 National Report on Contemporary Issues in 10 Corrections Agenda Item 2 Balancing Prison Management with the Increased 22 Security of Corrections by External Bodies Agenda Item 3 Best Practices in Rehabilitation for Women and 31 Other Special Groups of Prisoners Agenda Item 4 Engaging Families and Communities in the 44 Rehabilitation Process (including Restorative Justice approaches) Specialist Workshop 1 Developing Correctional Standards that Reflect 55 International and Regional Best Practice and Measuring Performance Specialist Workshop 2 Designing Prisons to Promote Effective 61 Rehabilitation and Environmental Sustainability Specialist Workshop 3 Building Capacity through the Recruitment, 68 Management and Retention of Talent and Through Good Succession Planning CONFERENCE BUSINESS 77 CLOSING CEREMONY 87 Photos 95 Appendix A List of Participants 105 Appendix B Correctional Statistics for Asia and the Pacific 2008 144 Appendix C Conference Program 2008 154 Appendix D APCCA Discussion Guide 2008 158 Appendix E List of Agenda Items at APCCA (1980 – 2008) 174 Appendix F List of Specialist Workshops at 21st to 28th APCCA 178 Appendix G Report on Administration of APCCA Fund 179 Appendix H APCCA Secretariat Report 186 Appendix I Conference Hosts from 2009 to 2012 188 Appendix J National and Regional Participation in APCCA 189 (1980 – 2008) Appendix K APCCA Membership List (2008 – 2009) 192 Appendix L Governing Board Membership 193 Appendix M Report of the APCCA Finance Committee 195 Appendix N The APCCA Joint Declaration as amended at the 24th 197 APCCA in 2004 Appendix O APCCA Song – “Togetherness in Unity” 203 HISTORY AND ROLE OF APCCA ___________________________________________________ Introduction to the 28th APCCA Conference This is the official report of the proceedings of the Twenty Eighth Asian and Pacific Conference of Correctional Administrators (APCCA) held in Langkawi, Malaysia, from 23rd November to 28th November 2008. The conference was attended by delegations from 25 jurisdictions in the Asian and Pacific region (see Appendix A). Generally, the delegations were headed by the Chief Executive, Commissioner or Director General responsible for Corrections, often accompanied by other senior and specialist staff. The conference was hosted by Datuk Mustafa bin Osman, Commissioner General of Malaysian Prisons. Malaysia has been a constant and very strong supporter of APCCA, having attended every single conference since the organisation’s inception in 1980. This was the third time that the conference had been held in Malaysia (the other times being 1987 and 1997). Immediately prior to the 2008 APCCA conference, the Malaysian Prison Department hosted (with some financial support from APCCA) a special training program entitled Terrorism: Challenges for Correctional Management in the 21st Century (see below). Malaysia selected a very meaningful conference theme – Togetherness in Unity. This theme blossomed throughout the formal and informal parts of the conference. Valuable information was shared, new insights were gained on how to improve the position of prisoners and prison officers, and friendships were formed and renewed. The generous hospitality provided by Datuk Mustafa ensured that every delegate left Malaysia with a greater sense of togetherness and unity across the region. Datuk Mustafa’s staff were extremely professional and helpful, providing every possible assistance to delegates. Together, they ensured that the conference was not only professionally valuable but also a thoroughly enjoyable occasion. As the rest of this report will show, the contacts made through APCCA are leading to significant regional collaborations. Visits to correctional institutions have always been an integral part of APCCA conferences. Such visits complement the formal conference discussions and provide the best possible practical method for delegates to observe operations in other jurisdictions. For this conference, visits were conducted to the Alor Setar Prison (an old prison dating back to colonial times) and to Pokok Sena Prison (a very modern facility). These visits provided delegates with invaluable insights into both the history of corrections in Malaysia and into contemporary practices and procedures. The visit to Pokok Sena Prison was a particularly significant occasion for APCCA in two ways. First, the Malaysian Prison Department has dedicated a garden area in the prison to APCCA. During the visit, the APCCA Rapporteur Professor Neil Morgan formally opened this ‘APCCA Park’. Secondly, each delegation was given a fish to release into a large fish pond inside the APCCA Park. This beautiful ceremony 1 signified the commitment of all APCCA members to working towards the safe and successful release of prisoners and to their reintegration into the community. APCCA History and Traditions The first APCCA meeting was held in Hong Kong in 1980, and 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 met every year apart from 1990. From 1980 to 1992, the conference was assisted by the Australian Institute of Criminology and from 1993 to 2002 by Professor David Biles in a private capacity. During 2001 and 2002, APCCA established a new framework for its operations, with the drafting of the Joint Declaration (see below). The Joint Declaration established a permanent Secretariat and the Secretariat responsibilities have been jointly shared by Hong Kong (China) and Singapore. The Joint Declaration also set out the roles of the Rapporteurs. Professor Neil Morgan1 (who had been involved in APCCA coordination since 1997) and Ms Irene Morgan2 (who had been involved since 2000) have served as Rapporteurs since 2003. Between 1980 and 2007, APCCA met in numerous nations across the region: Australia (four times); Canada; China (twice); Hong Kong (China) (three times); Fiji; India; Indonesia; Japan (twice); Korea (twice); Malaysia (twice); New Zealand (three times); Singapore; Thailand (twice), Tonga and Vietnam (See Appendix I). The topics that have been discussed at the various conferences are set out in Appendices E and F. Over this period, the conference has developed several important traditions. For example, the conference is not open to general registrations but is strictly by invitation to the chief executive officers of correctional departments in the Asia Pacific region. It has also always been accepted that the host has the right to select those to be invited. Host nations have provided hospitality as well as logistical support and an appropriate venue. APCCA has adopted a number of symbols that embody its enduring values and traditions. The symbols are a Fijian war club, an Indian oil lamp and a flag. Although a Fijian ‘war club’ might appear to carry connotations of aggression and violence, its true significance is that it is a sign of peace, harmony and civilisation when it is surrendered to another person. The Indian brass lamp is a symbol of learning and enlightenment. At the 2005 conference in Korea, APCCA adopted a flag which had been prepared by the Corrections Bureau of Korea. This is symbolic of the long life and strength of APCCA. The Malaysian Prison Department composed a song entitled ‘Togetherness in Unity’ especially for the 28th APCCA in Langkawi. The song was introduced to delegates during the Opening Ceremony. It was then adopted by APCCA as a theme song 1 Law School, The University of Western Australia. 2 Principal Policy Officer (Legislation), Department of Health, Western Australia (formerly of the University of Western Australia Law School). 2 during the Conference Business Sessions (see below) and was sung again during the Closing Ceremony. The lyrics to the song can be found in Appendix O of this report. Malaysian Correctional Academy and APCCA 2008 Training Program At the 1997 APCCA Conference in Kuala Lumpur, the then Commissioner of Malaysian Prisons Datuk Zaman Khan expressed his hope that Malaysia would be able to establish a training academy that would be able to offer high quality training to APCCA members as well as to Malaysian prison officials. More recently, APCCA conferences (especially since 2004) discussed the possibility of specialist training programs being offered as an adjunct to APCCA conferences, and of using some of APCCA’s funds to facilitate such programs. These goals came to fruition at the 28th APCCA. In 2007, the Malaysian Prison Department established the Correctional Academy of Malaysia in Kuah, Langkawi. Immediately prior to the main conference (from 20th to 22nd November 2008), the Malaysian Prison Department hosted a three-day course entitled Terrorism: Challenges for Correctional Management in the 21st Century. The program included talks from experts from Malaysia, workshops and break out groups. Participants came from ten APCCA countries: Malaysia, Brunei, Fiji, Indonesia, Kiribati, Macao (China), New Zealand, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Singapore. The participants found it valuable to share perspectives on the problem of terrorism and particularly to learn more about Muslim perspectives on the problem. The Malaysian Prison Department

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