Dads jailed in Hong Kong prison cherish Christmas ‘playtime’ with their children

Two days before Christmas at Hong Kong’s maximum security Stanley Prison, inmate Hong* spent his morning playing with his nine-year-old daughter Lily*, but without a glass panel wedged between them. Standing in front of a wall painted with cartoon animals frolicking in a forest, Hong and four other inmates melted into unbridled grins as their daughters sprinted to greet them with tight embraces. “I’m very touched,” Hong, 44, told the Post. “I didn’t expect that in a frigid prison there would be such a heartwarming place. It’s like a refuge for me, an anchor for my spirit.” The fathers were using a parent-child centre inside the prison compound, where male inmates can interact with their children below the age of 11 for two hours twice a month. The Correctional Services Department established the centre at Stanley Prison last December, after Tong Fuk Correctional Institution and Hei Ling Chau Addiction Centre opened similar ones earlier last year. Similar arrangements have been available at women’s prisons for years. In addition to the joy of playtime and physical contact, authorities hoped the interactions will motivate offenders to change for the better, according to Dominic Leung Chung-yin, an officer at the rehabilitation unit at Stanley Prison. “These parent-child activities are a platform for them to interact with one another. At the same time, we also hope to use the child’s perspective to tell the inmate they need to change, giving them determination [to do so],” Leung said. The officer said none of the participating prisoners had violated any rules since joining the scheme, while many tried to quit smoking or enrol themselves in study programmes in a bid to prove to their children their determination to change. To reduce children’s anxiety of visiting a prison, participating male inmates wear navy sweatshirts and trousers rather than the usual brown prison garb, while the children are bused directly to the centre to reduce their view of cell blocks. The parent-child centre at Stanley Prison was designed to resemble a playroom, with plenty of toys available and colourful walls separating the area from the assembly hall where it is located. But some security measures still remained. Officers inspect all toys in the centre and conduct a search with a dog after each session. Hong said he initially signed up for the scheme to “try his luck” in repairing his relationship with his now-11-year-old elder daughter as he faced a jail term of nine years and two months. She attended several sessions before the younger daughter took her place. With the help of counselling from social workers and correctional staff, he apologised to the elder daughter, who had a distant relationship with him due to his parenting style marked by outbursts. The sessions with Lily have also prompted Hong to further reflect on his past parenting ways. “Lily told me she wanted to play UNO cards. It was only then did I realise I had no idea how the game worked. I told her I didn’t know how to play and asked her to teach me,” Hong recalled. “I used to satisfy [my daughters] with material provisions, unlike now when I spend time playing with them. I regret this, having wasted so much time before.” Before each meeting, correctional officers and social workers organise workshops for participating inmates, asking them to design suitable games for their children to practise thinking from their child’s point of view. During Monday’s session, the five inmates first led a few rounds of the game “What time is it, Mr Fox” with the help of three social workers. Excitement soon filled the air as the fathers carried their young daughters, aged six to nine, around in the game. Shrieks and laughter never quite left the room, as the girls and their fathers had the remaining hour to themselves. At the end of the session, the five girls bade their goodbyes with hugs and kisses. The department did not provide the number of male inmates who had used the parent-child centres over the past year, but Leung said each session was kept below seven pairs to ensure sufficient space for everyone. Even though Hong could not fully witness Lily’s growth from behind bars, he was committed to keeping his promise of turning over a new leaf. The father of two said he hoped to take his daughters to Harbin in Heilongjiang province in mainland China to see the aurora borealis after his release, as he pledged to become a more responsible father. “I’ve promised my wife and my two daughters that I will not make the same mistake again and cause them to lose a father,” he said. “It’s painful that due to my own crime, multiple parts of the family are suffering.” Name changed at interviewee’s request

Dads jailed in Hong Kong prison cherish Christmas ‘playtime’ with their children

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}For inmates, programme that allows sessions filled with playing games and physical contact with their younger children provides added impetus to reform themselves

For inmates, programme that allows sessions filled with playing games and physical contact with their younger children provides added impetus to reform themselves