New scheme will not lead to crunch for halfway houses
We refer to the report “Halfway houses may face crunch with new scheme” (Sept 22).
We refer to the report “Halfway houses may face crunch with new scheme” (Sept 22).
We wish to clarify that the Mandatory Aftercare Scheme will not lead to fewer places in voluntary welfare organisation-run halfway houses for drug abusers who check themselves in for help. This is because the Singapore Prison Service will have a dedicated government halfway house for ex-offenders placed on the scheme.
The scheme is a structured aftercare regime that will provide enhanced community support, counselling and case management, with tight supervision for a selected group of ex-offenders at risk of reoffending and those who need more support in reintegration into society.
We expect many of those on the scheme to be ex-offenders who received long-term imprisonment sentences for drug offences.
The scheme will apply to those who committed offences after July 1. We expect the first group of ex-offenders to be placed in the government halfway house from the middle of 2016.