Pang Sung Yuen's view on Victoria Prison after he became the Commissioner
After Pang Sung Yuen was promoted to be the Commissioner of Correctional Services, he inspected Victoria Prison at least once in every 3 months. During his visit, he took special attention to the atmosphere and the relationship between the staff and the prisoners. As an experienced correctional services officer, Pang could spot the problems easily and corrected them. The Justice of Peace accepts complains from prisoners as well. Some prisoners reported that they discovered cracks in the prison buildings caused by the pile driving operations near the prison. The Correctional Services Department and the Architectural Services Department had monitored the situation closely, but they could not do anything to alter the prison building structure since Victoria Prison is a declared monument of Hong Kong.Victoria Prison is part of the Central Police Station Compound, which was built in 1842, the year after the British Colonial Government was established in Hong Kong. It was the first building the new government constructed. The prison reflects the Victorian penal system and the modifications of the prison building over the years also shows the Hong Kong penal system is improving. Pang Sung Yuen believes that the Victoria Prison Open Day after the de-commission is a good way for the public to know more about the Hong Kong penal system. In addition, this first open day had extra meaning since it was co-hosted by the Correctional Services Department and the Community Chest of Hong Kong as a fundraising campaign. Pang remembered that the guests all gather and had a “Royal Dinner” (the meal in prison was nicknamed Royal Meal back in the colonial days) and everyone enjoyed it very much.
Date | 2011-01-27 |
Material Type | Video |
Collection | Victoria Prison |
Source | Hong Kong Memory Project Oral History Interview |
Repository | Hong Kong Memory Project |
Note to Copyright | Copyright owned by Hong Kong Memory Project |
Accession No. | VP_PangSungYuen_03 |
Pang Sung Yuen's view on Victoria Prison after he became the Commissioner
After Pang Sung Yuen was promoted to be the Commissioner of Correctional Services, he inspected Victoria Prison at least once in every 3 months. During his visit, he took special attention to the atmosphere and the relationship between the staff and the prisoners. As an experienced correctional services officer, Pang could spot the problems easily and corrected them. The Justice of Peace accepts complains from prisoners as well. Some prisoners reported that they discovered cracks in the prison buildings caused by the pile driving operations near the prison. The Correctional Services Department and the Architectural Services Department had monitored the situation closely, but they could not do anything to alter the prison building structure since Victoria Prison is a declared monument of Hong Kong.Victoria Prison is part of the Central Police Station Compound, which was built in 1842, the year after the British Colonial Government was established in Hong Kong. It was the first building the new government constructed. The prison reflects the Victorian penal system and the modifications of the prison building over the years also shows the Hong Kong penal system is improving. Pang Sung Yuen believes that the Victoria Prison Open Day after the de-commission is a good way for the public to know more about the Hong Kong penal system. In addition, this first open day had extra meaning since it was co-hosted by the Correctional Services Department and the Community Chest of Hong Kong as a fundraising campaign. Pang remembered that the guests all gather and had a “Royal Dinner” (the meal in prison was nicknamed Royal Meal back in the colonial days) and everyone enjoyed it very much.
Player Go to Google Play/iTunes in case NO VLC apps was installed.
Player Go to Google Play/iTunes in case NO VLC apps was installed.
Title | Pang Sung Yuen's view on Victoria Prison after he became the Commissioner |
Date | 2011-01-27 |
Material Type | Video |
Collection | Victoria Prison |
Source | Hong Kong Memory Project Oral History Interview |
Repository | Hong Kong Memory Project |
Note to Copyright | Copyright owned by Hong Kong Memory Project |
Accession No. | VP_PangSungYuen_03 |
Pang Sung Yuen's view on Victoria Prison after he became the Commissioner
After Pang Sung Yuen was promoted to be the Commissioner of Correctional Services, he inspected Victoria Prison at least once in every 3 months. During his visit, he took special attention to the atmosphere and the relationship between the staff and the prisoners. As an experienced correctional services officer, Pang could spot the problems easily and corrected them. The Justice of Peace accepts complains from prisoners as well. Some prisoners reported that they discovered cracks in the prison buildings caused by the pile driving operations near the prison. The Correctional Services Department and the Architectural Services Department had monitored the situation closely, but they could not do anything to alter the prison building structure since Victoria Prison is a declared monument of Hong Kong.Victoria Prison is part of the Central Police Station Compound, which was built in 1842, the year after the British Colonial Government was established in Hong Kong. It was the first building the new government constructed. The prison reflects the Victorian penal system and the modifications of the prison building over the years also shows the Hong Kong penal system is improving. Pang Sung Yuen believes that the Victoria Prison Open Day after the de-commission is a good way for the public to know more about the Hong Kong penal system. In addition, this first open day had extra meaning since it was co-hosted by the Correctional Services Department and the Community Chest of Hong Kong as a fundraising campaign. Pang remembered that the guests all gather and had a “Royal Dinner” (the meal in prison was nicknamed Royal Meal back in the colonial days) and everyone enjoyed it very much.
Player Go to Google Play/iTunes in case NO VLC apps was installed.
Player Go to Google Play/iTunes in case NO VLC apps was installed.
Title | Pang Sung Yuen's view on Victoria Prison after he became the Commissioner |
Date | 2011-01-27 |
Material Type | Video |
Collection | Victoria Prison |
Source | Hong Kong Memory Project Oral History Interview |
Repository | Hong Kong Memory Project |
Note to Copyright | Copyright owned by Hong Kong Memory Project |
Accession No. | VP_PangSungYuen_03 |
Victoria Prison is part of the Central Police Station Compound, which was built in 1842, the year after the British Colonial Government was established in Hong Kong. It was the first building the new government constructed. The prison reflects the Victorian penal system and the modifications of the prison building over the years also shows the Hong Kong penal system is improving. Pang Sung Yuen believes that the Victoria Prison Open Day after the de-commission is a good way for the public to know more about the Hong Kong penal system. In addition, this first open day had extra meaning since it was co-hosted by the Correctional Services Department and the Community Chest of Hong Kong as a fundraising campaign. Pang remembered that the guests all gather and had a “Royal Dinner” (the meal in prison was nicknamed Royal Meal back in the colonial days) and everyone enjoyed it very much.
Player Go to Google Play/iTunes in case NO VLC apps was installed.
Player Go to Google Play/iTunes in case NO VLC apps was installed.
Date | 2011-01-27 |
Material Type | Video |
Collection | Victoria Prison |
Source | Hong Kong Memory Project Oral History Interview |
Repository | Hong Kong Memory Project |
Note to Copyright | Copyright owned by Hong Kong Memory Project |
Accession No. | VP_PangSungYuen_03 |
Pang Sung Yuen's view on Victoria Prison after he became the Commissioner
After Pang Sung Yuen was promoted to be the Commissioner of Correctional Services, he inspected Victoria Prison at least once in every 3 months. During his visit, he took special attention to the atmosphere and the relationship between the staff and the prisoners. As an experienced correctional services officer, Pang could spot the problems easily and corrected them. The Justice of Peace accepts complains from prisoners as well. Some prisoners reported that they discovered cracks in the prison buildings caused by the pile driving operations near the prison. The Correctional Services Department and the Architectural Services Department had monitored the situation closely, but they could not do anything to alter the prison building structure since Victoria Prison is a declared monument of Hong Kong.Victoria Prison is part of the Central Police Station Compound, which was built in 1842, the year after the British Colonial Government was established in Hong Kong. It was the first building the new government constructed. The prison reflects the Victorian penal system and the modifications of the prison building over the years also shows the Hong Kong penal system is improving. Pang Sung Yuen believes that the Victoria Prison Open Day after the de-commission is a good way for the public to know more about the Hong Kong penal system. In addition, this first open day had extra meaning since it was co-hosted by the Correctional Services Department and the Community Chest of Hong Kong as a fundraising campaign. Pang remembered that the guests all gather and had a “Royal Dinner” (the meal in prison was nicknamed Royal Meal back in the colonial days) and everyone enjoyed it very much.
Player Go to Google Play/iTunes in case NO VLC apps was installed.
Player Go to Google Play/iTunes in case NO VLC apps was installed.
Title | Pang Sung Yuen's view on Victoria Prison after he became the Commissioner |
Date | 2011-01-27 |
Material Type | Video |
Collection | Victoria Prison |
Source | Hong Kong Memory Project Oral History Interview |
Repository | Hong Kong Memory Project |
Note to Copyright | Copyright owned by Hong Kong Memory Project |
Accession No. | VP_PangSungYuen_03 |
Pang Sung Yuen's view on Victoria Prison after he became the Commissioner
After Pang Sung Yuen was promoted to be the Commissioner of Correctional Services, he inspected Victoria Prison at least once in every 3 months. During his visit, he took special attention to the atmosphere and the relationship between the staff and the prisoners. As an experienced correctional services officer, Pang could spot the problems easily and corrected them. The Justice of Peace accepts complains from prisoners as well. Some prisoners reported that they discovered cracks in the prison buildings caused by the pile driving operations near the prison. The Correctional Services Department and the Architectural Services Department had monitored the situation closely, but they could not do anything to alter the prison building structure since Victoria Prison is a declared monument of Hong Kong.Victoria Prison is part of the Central Police Station Compound, which was built in 1842, the year after the British Colonial Government was established in Hong Kong. It was the first building the new government constructed. The prison reflects the Victorian penal system and the modifications of the prison building over the years also shows the Hong Kong penal system is improving. Pang Sung Yuen believes that the Victoria Prison Open Day after the de-commission is a good way for the public to know more about the Hong Kong penal system. In addition, this first open day had extra meaning since it was co-hosted by the Correctional Services Department and the Community Chest of Hong Kong as a fundraising campaign. Pang remembered that the guests all gather and had a “Royal Dinner” (the meal in prison was nicknamed Royal Meal back in the colonial days) and everyone enjoyed it very much.
Player Go to Google Play/iTunes in case NO VLC apps was installed.
Player Go to Google Play/iTunes in case NO VLC apps was installed.
Release Date | 2011-01-27 |
Material Type | Video |
Collection | Victoria Prison |
Source | Hong Kong Memory Project Oral History Interview |
Note to Copyright | Copyright owned by Hong Kong Memory Project |
Accession No. | VP_PangSungYuen_03 |
- Mr. Pang first joined the Hong Kong Civil Service in the then Resettlement Department in November 1968 and in April 1971 joined as a Prison Officer in the Prisons Department, now the Correctional Services Department. He was the Commissioner of Correctional Services in January 2003 until his retirement in July 2006.Mr. Pang’s first working experience in Victoria Prison was in 1973 for about one year with young offenders. His second tour at Victoria was only two to three weeks on relief duty in 1980.
Pang Sung Yuen worked in Victoria Prison twice over the years
Pang Sung Yuen joined the Prisons Department (now the Correctional Services Department) in 1971 and served there for over 35 years. He was appointed the Commissioner of Correctional Services in 2003 until his retirement. Pang worked in Victoria Reception Centre in 1973 for about a year; his main duty was to make assessment report of young offenders. Vitoria Prison was called Victoria Reception Centre in 1973; all convicted male offenders in Hong Kong were sent to the centre to wait for the court’s decision of their sentence. There were only 100 to 200 convicts in the centre because Victoria Prison was designed a long time ago and had not enough space. Pang mentioned the courts now have more choices for young offender sentencing other than imprisonment. Some will be sent to rehabilitation centres (after 2000) or the police will exercise Police Superintendent's Discretion (the number of youth crime cases is higher now than in the 1970s. According to Pang, some young people pick up bad habits under the influence of some twisted social values). Young offenders were housed separately from the adult offenders in Hall D for about 2-3 weeks. The other offenders in custody had to wait for the court to issue the date of trial. The one who faced charges in the high court had to wait the longest. The young offenders in custody were allowed to watch television or listen to radio, and they had at least an hour of exercise every day. As they were just waiting for the trial, they were not requires to work in prison.
Pang Sung Yuen’s second working experience in Victoria Prison was in 1980, as the acting prison superintendent as the superintendent was on sick leave. Victoria Prison had resumed its function as a prison by then since Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre was operational in 1997. Victoria Prison was thus used to house short sentence prisoners, foreign prisoners and illegal immigrants.Pang Sung Yuen talks about his impression on Victoria Prison and the reason of its de-commission
Pang Sung Yuen was impressed by the historical buildings of Victoria Prison. Nevertheless, the prison cannot meet the minimum standard rules for modern prisons despite the effort of the prison staff spent on maintenance. For example, the prison cell design was too old and small to install individual sanitary system. The failure to meet the modern prison standard is the main reason of the de-commission of Victoria Prison.
Pang Sung Yuen's view on Victoria Prison after he became the Commissioner
After Pang Sung Yuen was promoted to be the Commissioner of Correctional Services, he inspected Victoria Prison at least once in every 3 months. During his visit, he took special attention to the atmosphere and the relationship between the staff and the prisoners. As an experienced correctional services officer, Pang could spot the problems easily and corrected them. The Justice of Peace accepts complains from prisoners as well. Some prisoners reported that they discovered cracks in the prison buildings caused by the pile driving operations near the prison. The Correctional Services Department and the Architectural Services Department had monitored the situation closely, but they could not do anything to alter the prison building structure since Victoria Prison is a declared monument of Hong Kong.Victoria Prison is part of the Central Police Station Compound, which was built in 1842, the year after the British Colonial Government was established in Hong Kong. It was the first building the new government constructed. The prison reflects the Victorian penal system and the modifications of the prison building over the years also shows the Hong Kong penal system is improving. Pang Sung Yuen believes that the Victoria Prison Open Day after the de-commission is a good way for the public to know more about the Hong Kong penal system. In addition, this first open day had extra meaning since it was co-hosted by the Correctional Services Department and the Community Chest of Hong Kong as a fundraising campaign. Pang remembered that the guests all gather and had a “Royal Dinner” (the meal in prison was nicknamed Royal Meal back in the colonial days) and everyone enjoyed it very much.
Player Go to Google Play/iTunes in case NO VLC apps was installed.
Player Go to Google Play/iTunes in case NO VLC apps was installed.
Date | 2011-01-27 |
Material Type | Video |
Collection | Victoria Prison |
Source | Hong Kong Memory Project Oral History Interview |
Repository | Hong Kong Memory Project |
Note to Copyright | Copyright owned by Hong Kong Memory Project |
Accession No. | VP_PangSungYuen_03 |
- Mr. Pang first joined the Hong Kong Civil Service in the then Resettlement Department in November 1968 and in April 1971 joined as a Prison Officer in the Prisons Department, now the Correctional Services Department. He was the Commissioner of Correctional Services in January 2003 until his retirement in July 2006.Mr. Pang’s first working experience in Victoria Prison was in 1973 for about one year with young offenders. His second tour at Victoria was only two to three weeks on relief duty in 1980.
Pang Sung Yuen worked in Victoria Prison twice over the years
Pang Sung Yuen joined the Prisons Department (now the Correctional Services Department) in 1971 and served there for over 35 years. He was appointed the Commissioner of Correctional Services in 2003 until his retirement. Pang worked in Victoria Reception Centre in 1973 for about a year; his main duty was to make assessment report of young offenders. Vitoria Prison was called Victoria Reception Centre in 1973; all convicted male offenders in Hong Kong were sent to the centre to wait for the court’s decision of their sentence. There were only 100 to 200 convicts in the centre because Victoria Prison was designed a long time ago and had not enough space. Pang mentioned the courts now have more choices for young offender sentencing other than imprisonment. Some will be sent to rehabilitation centres (after 2000) or the police will exercise Police Superintendent's Discretion (the number of youth crime cases is higher now than in the 1970s. According to Pang, some young people pick up bad habits under the influence of some twisted social values). Young offenders were housed separately from the adult offenders in Hall D for about 2-3 weeks. The other offenders in custody had to wait for the court to issue the date of trial. The one who faced charges in the high court had to wait the longest. The young offenders in custody were allowed to watch television or listen to radio, and they had at least an hour of exercise every day. As they were just waiting for the trial, they were not requires to work in prison.
Pang Sung Yuen’s second working experience in Victoria Prison was in 1980, as the acting prison superintendent as the superintendent was on sick leave. Victoria Prison had resumed its function as a prison by then since Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre was operational in 1997. Victoria Prison was thus used to house short sentence prisoners, foreign prisoners and illegal immigrants.Pang Sung Yuen talks about his impression on Victoria Prison and the reason of its de-commission
Pang Sung Yuen was impressed by the historical buildings of Victoria Prison. Nevertheless, the prison cannot meet the minimum standard rules for modern prisons despite the effort of the prison staff spent on maintenance. For example, the prison cell design was too old and small to install individual sanitary system. The failure to meet the modern prison standard is the main reason of the de-commission of Victoria Prison.