SINGAPORE - From 2011 to 2016, 400 offenders avoided confinement behind bars. They had to report to an officer once a week, but were otherwise free to lead their lives.

These low-risk offenders, whose crimes would have put them in jail for three years at the most, were part of a prison scheme that aims to rehabilitate them in a real-world setting.

Since the Day Reporting Order (DRO) scheme started in 2011, at least 90 per cent of each year's cohort completed their sentences, according to the latest prison statistics released on Tuesday (Feb 6).

The high completion rates show that the scheme is a viable alternative sentencing option, said a Singapore Prison Service (SPS) spokesman.

Furthermore, offenders' records are considered spent when they complete their court order, so that they are not stigmatised when they apply for jobs, said the prison service.

To qualify for the scheme, offenders have to be at least 16 years old, be first-time offenders, with crimes that are considered minor, for example, theft, traffic offences and mischief.

The prison service will assess them before coming up with tailored rehabilitation plans for offenders.

They have to work with a correctional rehabilitation specialist who will provide counselling and help with employment. Some offenders may have to wear electronic tags to ensure that they keep to their curfews.

Each rehabilitation plan lasts between three and 12 months.

Offenders have to go to the Prison Link Centre in Geylang Bahru once a week to see their reporting officer. For the rest of their time, they are free to lead their lives as long as they stick to the court order and do not commit crimes.

In 2013, Ms Samantha Lo, who had stencilled "My Grandfather Road" on several roads and pasted stickers bearing captions such as "Press Once Can Already" on traffic light buttons, was served a three-month Day Reporting Order.

If offenders breach their Day Reporting Order, the courts will conduct a review and decide if rehabilitation has been effective.

"We want to work with the offenders to ensure compliance and to ensure that they get back on their feet," said Assistant Commissioner Rockey Francisco Jr, SPS' director of Community Corrections Command.

"The spirit of the DRO is not to look out for mistakes and throw them in prison," AC Francisco said.

Allowing offenders to rehabilitate in a real-world setting is one way for them to learn how to battle their demons, he added, noting that prison may not offer the same temptations as the outside world.

As a result, offenders may commit crimes again if they are not integrated well into society, he said.

Employment is another way to keep them from reoffending, the spokesman said.

Last year, there were 5,520 employers registered with Singapore Corporation of Rehabilitative Enterprise (Score) to provide job opportunities for inmates, up from 5,093 employers in 2016 and 4,745 in 2015.

Last year, Score secured 2,143 jobs for offenders while they were still serving their sentences, an increase from the 2,061 in 2016.

Latest figures show that the recidivism rate has hovered around 26 per cent for cohorts released between 2013 and 2015.

For the cohort released in 2012, close to three in 10 inmates went back to jail, the highest rate in at least nine years.