Hong Kong’s Correctional Services Department has taken a group of young rehabilitated offenders on another organized trip to mainland China, marking the third such tour this year and shedding new light over the political component of the city’s post-release rehabilitation programs.
The latest two-day trip brought 14 young participants to the Chaoshan region of Guangdong Province over the recent long weekend. Some were still under correctional supervision, while others had already completed their supervision requirements and were taking part as former supervisees.
According to Sing Tao Daily, the itinerary included visits to historical and cultural exhibitions, a jewelry museum, Guangji Bridge and local cultural sites, along with activities such as learning to make traditional red peach rice cakes.
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The Correctional Services Department said the tour was designed to deepen participants’ understanding of Chinese history, culture and industrial development while strengthening their “sense of national belonging and national identity.”
Rehabilitation with a national-education component
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The mainland tours are an extension of the department’s broader rehabilitation programs for young offenders, including some convicted over offenses related to the 2019 anti-extradition protests.
Official Correctional Services Department materials describe those programs as combining rehabilitation with education in Chinese history, traditional culture, national development and what authorities call “correct values.” In its own reporting on the first tour in February, the department said the program was intended to help participants “establish a sense of belonging to the country and their national identity.”
The department’s 2024 annual review similarly said rehabilitation programs for people jailed over the 2019 unrest and national-security offenses were designed to improve their understanding of traditional Chinese culture, moral education and national identity.
Supporters of the programs argue that mainland exchanges can broaden participants’ perspectives, expose them to employment and development opportunities, and help them reintegrate after serving their sentences. Critics, however, question whether the emphasis on patriotism and national identity turns rehabilitation into a form of political re-education.
Questions over how voluntary tours are
A central point of debate is whether young people who remain under legal supervision can freely decline invitations to participate.
Critics note that people under supervision remain subject to Correctional Services Department rules and may need approval for overseas or cross-border travel. Former political activists who have experienced post-release supervision have argued that this creates an uneven power relationship between participants and officers overseeing their rehabilitation.
From that perspective, critics say participation may be formally voluntary while still carrying implicit pressure to demonstrate cooperation or “good rehabilitation.”
The department has not publicly said that participation in the tours is mandatory. Still, the way the programs are presented has also drawn scrutiny. Government and pro-establishment media reports have highlighted participants expressing regret over past actions and describing how mainland visits changed their views of China.
Critics argue that such testimonials can function as political messaging, particularly when they involve young people who remain under official supervision.
Third tour this year
The latest trip follows two earlier mainland exchanges in 2026. In February, 14 young people who had completed prison sentences and were still under supervision traveled to Foshan and Zhuhai. They visited a revolutionary-history exhibition, a traditional Chinese medicine hospital, aerospace facilities and technology companies.
The department said the participants had been involved in what it calls the 2019 “black violence” and that the trip was intended to deepen their understanding of national history and development.
A second tour took place from June 26 to 28 and brought another 14 young participants, primarily women who had been involved in the 2019 protests, to Shenzhen. Their itinerary included the former headquarters of the East River Column, a martyrs’ memorial park, DJI and facilities showcasing drones, robotics and other emerging technologies.
Taken together, the three tours show how Hong Kong’s rehabilitation system has increasingly incorporated national education into programs for some young offenders. Officials present the approach as a way to encourage reintegration, patriotism and a stronger understanding of China.
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