Lo Wu Correctional Institution () is a medium-security prison in
Lo Wu,
New Territories, Hong Kong which houses adult women prisoners and remands. It is the largest
women's prison
This article discusses the incarceration of women in correctional facilities. As of 2013 across the world, 625,000 women and children were being held in penal institutions, and the female prison population was increasing in all continents. in Hong Kong.
History
The site of the prison was formerly a
British Forces base called Lo Wu Camp, which was later used to accommodate
Vietnamese refugees.
To help alleviate
prison overcrowding
Prison overcrowding is a social phenomenon occurring when the demand for space in prisons in a jurisdiction exceeds the capacity for prisoners. The issues associated with prison overcrowding are not new, and have been brewing for many years. Dur ...
, the military base was converted into the minimum-security Lo Wu Correctional Institution, which upon completion in August 1997 had a capacity of 208.
Overcrowding of the prison system remained a problem. Hence, the government developed plans to redevelop the Lo Wu Correctional Institution to provide a total of 1,400 penal places, an increase of nearly 1,200. In July 2006, the redevelopment plan was endorsed by the Finance Committee of the
Legislative Council.
Work began in April 2007. Construction was carried out by contractor Yau Lee Group.
The
design-and-build contract was administered by the
Architectural Services Department of the Hong Kong government. A topping-out ceremony was held on 11 August 2009.
The project was completed in April 2010. The new facility began operation on 2 July 2010, when the first 135 inmates arrived from Chi Ma Wan Correctional Institution, which was subsequently closed for redevelopment. Others came Lai Chi Kok Correctional Institution, which also closed and was later merged into
Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre.
The chief executive of Hong Kong,
Donald Tsang, formally opened the rebuilt Lo Wu Correctional Institution on 24 August 2010. The redevelopment project cost approximately HK$1.5 billion.
Description
The prison has a capacity of 1,400. It houses adult women prisoners and remands.
There are three wings. The minimum-security Main Wing has a capacity of 600. The medium-security East and West wings each provide 400 penal places.
Located in a rural area with no public sewer system, Lo Wu Correctional Institution was built with its own
membrane bioreactor sewage treatment plant.
According to a 2020 news article, approximately 40 per cent of inmates are of non-Chinese ethnicity.
Notable inmates
*
Agnes Chow – activist (until 31 December 2020)
*
Cyd Ho – former lawmaker
*
Yau Wai-ching – former lawmaker
*
Tiffany Yuen – former district councillor
See also
*
Prisons in Hong Kong
This is a list of prisons in Hong Kong managed (or previously managed) by the Correctional Services Department.
; Hong Kong Island
*Cape Collinson Correctional Institution, Cape Collinson, Hong Kong Island
:(Male young offenders undergoing tra ...
References
External links
*
{{China prisons
1997 establishments in Hong Kong
North District, Hong Kong
Prisons in Hong Kong