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Strong communities, jobs break re-offending cycle

SINGAPORE — Thrown behind bars for his addiction to the illegal synthetic drug ecstasy, John (not his real name) felt wronged. He had turned to drugs to escape his depression from battling nose cancer.

Some 97 per cent of the inmates referred to Score secured a job before their release last year, up from the 95 per cent and 96 per cent in 2016 and 2015 respectively. TODAY File Photo

Some 97 per cent of the inmates referred to Score secured a job before their release last year, up from the 95 per cent and 96 per cent in 2016 and 2015 respectively. TODAY File Photo

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SINGAPORE — Thrown behind bars for his addiction to the illegal synthetic drug ecstasy, John (not his real name) felt wronged. He had turned to drugs to escape his depression from battling nose cancer.

But the chance to serve the tail-end of his one-year sentence at home last year as part of a step-down care arrangement changed his attitude.

“I realised that the (authorities) didn’t just throw me inside, give me food, but didn’t care about me. No, I learned that (they) were giving me another chance,” said the 49-year-old former technician, who is now working as a cleaner at a school.

He was one of the 964 inmates for drug offences and another 951 inmates for penal offences who were emplaced for community-based programmes last year, aimed at helping them to gradually reintegrate back into society.

The completion rate for community-based programmes “remained high”, according to the latest statistics released by the Singapore Prison Service (SPS) on Tuesday (Feb 06).

Last year, 97.7 per cent of the inmates for penal offences completed the programme. In comparison, the rates for 2016 and 2015 were 98.2 per cent and 96.9 per cent respectively. For drug offences, the completion rate was 87.8 per cent last year, compared to the 88.2 per cent in 2016, and 81.7 per cent in 2015.

John, who was put on the Home Detention Scheme, said he was taught how to reject any drug offers, and the programme helped him to become more disciplined.

“Since (they) … were spending so much money to give us this chance, why don’t I change? I had this opportunity and I (took) it,” he added. Apart from securing a job as a cleaner, he is studying for a diploma in Maritime Transportation and hopes to eventually work as a marine surveyor.

A similarly high completion rate was observed for the Day Reporting Order (DRO) administered by the SPS for low-risk first-time offenders aged 16 and above who commit offences with a maximum jail term of three years.

Some 91.4 per cent of offenders had completed their DRO in 2016, compared to the 94.3 per cent in 2015 and 93.7 per cent in 2014.

Between 2011 and 2016, close to 400 offenders avoided jail terms under this community-based sentencing, which requires them to report weekly to a Day Reporting Centre in the community.

Among those who fail to complete their DRO, curfew violations could be one reason.

The relatively high and consistent completion rates of these community-based programmes “gives us the confidence to pursue and carry on down this path”, said Assistant Commissioner of Prisons Rockey Francisco Junior, who is also the director of the Community Corrections Command.

Noting that the results are “quite encouraging”, he added that the slight dips and fluctuations in the completion rates of were due to the cohort profile year-on-year.

Another way the SPS reduces re-offending is by helping former offenders secure stable and gainful employment. To that end, there were 5,520 employers registered with the Singapore Corporation of Rehabilitative Enterprises (Score) last year, an increase of 427 employers.

Some 97 per cent of the inmates referred to Score secured a job before their release last year, up from the 95 per cent and 96 per cent in 2016 and 2015 respectively.

Based on provisional statistics from last year, 80 per cent kept their jobs for three months, while 65 per cent retained their jobs for half a year.

Overall, the recidivism rate – defined as those who were detained, convicted and jailed again for a new offence within two years of release – has “remained stable” over the past three years. The recidivism rate of 25.9 per cent for inmates released in 2015 was better than the 26.5 per cent for those released in 2014.

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