Law Hau Leung talks about his daily routines in the Reception Office

Law Hau Leung pointed out that the Reception Office in the 1970s did not have any subdivided units. People in custody on remand were brought to the prison by police, and squatted in line outside the Reception Office, awaited the prison staff to verify their identity and documents. Then they were brought into the Reception Room and waited sitting down on the benches inside, waiting for the admission and body check up. (Law also agreed with Lee Siu On that the Reception Office back in the days had cages, or subdivided units with metal gates.)

[Lee Siu On mentioned that before the Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre opened in 1977, all the prisoners on remand would send to Victoria Prison. They all had to have a haircut after admission but such measure was cancelled in the later years, since then you could see prisoners on remand with all sort of hairstyle from long hair, short hair or gold dye.]

The Reception Office was divided into two parts. Law was in charged of the prisoners on remand, while the other officer was responsible for the convicts. After the court ruled, the convicts would be given a number, which was permanent and would be reused if the offender was convicted again in the future. The new arrivals would have a haircut. After a 3-day induction period, the prison Classification Board (chaired by the Superintendent during Law’s time) would then assign them to different prisons to serve their time according to the duration of the sentence and if the convict was first time or repeat offender.

[Lee Siu On said the Reception Office was called the “the finger-print room” by the prison staff, some also translated it as the “Information Room”. It was called “the finger-print room” because the first thing the new arrivals (convicted or not) did was to give their fingerprint impression.]