Research evaluation of rehabilitation programs has used minimal contribution or participation from the ex-offenders who are the subjects or objects of study, and little attention has been paid to those who receive these services. This article looks at what young ex-offenders said about their experience of residential treatment programs in the probation homes and the detention center in Hong Kong. Based on in-depth, qualitative interviews with five young male ex-offenders, this small-scale study may shed light on how they perceive the advantages and disadvantages of treatment programs for them. Although loss of freedom, pains of detention, and doing time are a result of being locked up, some report their residential experiences as a fruitful way to enable them to grow out of crime and to cause them to reevaluate relationships with their families. Finally, an outline of what further research or policy evaluation could and should be done is given.
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