Inmates have sufficient opportunities to interact and keep in touch with loved ones

We thank Mr Lionnel Lim for his interest and support in the rehabilitation of offenders.

The Singapore Prison Service (SPS) recognises the importance of family and community support in the reintegration process. While most inmates are granted two visits and may also send two letters every month, there is no limit to the number of letters each inmate can receive. Family members and friends are thus able to keep in touch with their loved ones in prisons. These opportunities for interaction will prepare the inmates for reintegration back into society. We will consider requests from inmates to send additional letters on a case-by-case basis based on compassionate grounds.

We thank the community for their support in the rehabilitation of offenders and their reintegration into society.

Lee Chee Kwong
Head Public Affairs Officer,
Singapore Prison Service

TODAY, 1 Feb 2008

Ex-offenders need time to reintegrate before they can help other inmates

We refer to M Lukshumayeh's feedback. Mr Lukshumayeh has rightly written that genuine trust and belief are sources of strength for an ex-offender, and this is what the Yellow Ribbon Project aims to achieve.

The project was launched in a nation-wide drive in 2004, and aims to raise community awareness of the needs of ex-offenders to aid their rehabilitation and reintegration into society.

We wish to address Mr Lukshumayeh's perceptions of the three-year guideline. Security guidelines are indeed imposed on persons entering or having access to prison premises, which are high security locations. This policy exists for the practical reasons mentioned above.

Ex-offenders are allowed access should they need to visit members of their family who are incarcerated. When access into prison premises is required for their work, ex-offenders who were released less than three years before can be allowed to enter, subject to approval from the Prisons management.

In the case of ex-offenders who seek to volunteer to help inmates in prison, we impose a three-year guideline because our experiences, both locally and overseas, have shown that successful reintegration of such ex-offenders can usually be measured in a two-to-five-year time frame.

As such, we do not think of it appropriate to deploy recently released prisoners to counsel inmates before their own reintegration into society is more certain.

If they wish to contribute to society during this period, they can volunteer, as many ex-offenders do, with other community organisations to assist the needy in society.

Lee Chee Kwong
Head Public Affairs Officer,
Singapore Prison Service

Straits Times, 21 SEP 2004

No criminal record stint in drug rehab centre

I refer to the letter by Mr Tan Chak Lim, "Spare minor offenders rigours of prison regime" (ST, Sep 13).

The Singapore Prison Service regularly reviews its rehabilitation programmes for inmates who wish to turn over a new leaf. To do this, the community’s involvement in helping ex-offenders is critical.

We recognise that imprisonment can have long-term detrimental effects on the young, both mentally and psychologically, and it was with that understanding that we expanded the Home Detention Scheme recently to offer it to those who committed minor offences.

The newly-introduced Drug Rehabilitation Centre (DRC) regime was also extended to first-time synthetic-drug abusers as many of these are young people.

In this regard, we thank Mr Tan for his support of the expansion of the Home Detention Scheme and our intention to expand the drug rehabilitation regime to cover abusers of synthetic drugs.

We would also like to clarify that a person who is committed to a drug rehabilitation centre does not have a criminal record registered against him.

A.Nalaaini (Ms),
Senior Public Affairs Officer,
Singapore Prison Service

TODAY, 9 SEP 2004

New prisons secure and economical

I refer to Mr See Leong Kit’s letter, “Reassessment needed of high-cost public expenditures” (Sept 6). The Singapore Prison Service currently runs a total of 14 institutions, out of which 10 were converted from disused buildings. They take up a lot of land and are inefficient to operate. By consolidating its operations in a new multi-storey development, the department has been able to free up 57 hectares of land and achieve economies of scale.

We wish to assure the writer that the new prisons being built at Changi are designed with cost considerations in mind, while maintaining an optimal level of security for the safe custody and rehabilitation of the prisoners

Lim Soo Eng (Ms),
Senior Public Affairs Officer,
Singapore Prison Service