A rare spotlight has been shone on prison life lately, a result of so many prominent Hong Kong figures behind bars or facing prison terms. They include a former Chief Executive, a former Chief Secretary for the Administration and one of Hong Kong’s richest men, to prominent activists like Joshua Wong, Nathan Law and Raphael Wong.
In this issue of Periscope, we take a look at some of the lesser heard stories of those who are doing or have done time in Hong Kong’s prisons and detention centres.
Juvenile offenders, defined as those aged between 14 and 21, are speaking out publicly about the abuse they say they suffered at the hands of prison guards. We hear them describe what they see as a broken complaints reporting system.
With more Hong Kong people travelling to, working and living in the Mainland, it’s inevitable that some will run foul of Chinese law. We talk to Hongkongers who have been detained in the Mainland and hear how the Hong Kong government is unable to offer much help.
Hong Kong has the highest ratio of women prisoners as a percentage of the prison population in the world. We talk to former prisoners about the difficulties women, including mothers incarcerated with their children, face in prison.
