SINGAPORE - Mr Christopher Adrian Chia was a secret society member in his teenage years before he became a trafficker of drugs sourced from Malaysia.
It seemed like he had turned his life around when he obtained his O- and A-level certificates while behind bars between 2004 and 2012, and a bachelor's degree after he was released.
But in 2019, he was ordered to spend eight months in a drug rehabilitation centre (DRC) for drug consumption.
Mr Chia has since remained out of trouble, and the 47-year-old social work executive at Lakeside Family Services told the media last Friday (July 15) why he reoffended.
He said: "Because of my networks in the drug trade, I was able to get free drugs and then I fell. I started consuming drugs and then I was arrested.
"During this time, when I was inside the DRC, I realised I wasted so much resources because my family was the one who supported me through my degree. I lost the trust of my mum and my aunt who supported me, they thought I was doing fine."
Keeping offenders out of prison longer will be the new focus of the Home Team, said Second Minister for Home Affairs Josephine Teo on Monday.
Speaking at the Community Action for the Rehabilitation of Ex-Offenders (Care) Network summit 2022, she added that the ministry is shifting its focus towards bringing down the rate of former criminals breaking the law within five years, instead of just two years.
Singapore's two-year recidivism rate hit a 30-year low of 20 per cent for the 2019 release cohort, while the five-year number for the 2016 cohort stands at 41 per cent.
Said Mrs Teo: "The purpose of this shift in focus is to emphasise the need to look beyond the immediate post-release rehabilitation of former inmates, to secure their longer-term reintegration journey. This requires significant rethinking on our approaches and our new capabilities."
She added that while current programmes have been shown to be successful in giving former offenders a good start, more must be done to help them reach further in their rehabilitation and reintegration journey.
This includes sustaining their motivation to remain crime-free and helping them remain gainfully employed.
She added: "After the initial progress, many former inmates will also face setbacks and disappointments, as we all do in life. These are things that we ourselves experience, and we all know how difficult it is even without a chequered past, to find new ways to continue.
"Therefore, we should not underestimate the challenges that ex-offenders face in finding the motivation to course-correct and press on."
She highlighted some of the work already done in this area by members of the Care Network, which comprises more than 100 community partners and supporters, including social service agencies, halfway houses and religious groups.
One of the initiatives Mrs Teo spoke about is a programme conducted by AMP Singapore - a non-profit organisation serving the Muslim community - which supports female inmates with children, by helping them develop home-based businesses after their release.
There were 18 participants in the first run of the scheme last year, and 20 more took part in its second iteration that was completed this year.
This year's edition of the annual Care Network summit was held at Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre, with about 300 guests in attendance.
The co-chairman of the Care Network, Mr Phillip Tan, welcomed the return of the in-person event, after it was held virtually previously because of Covid-19 measures.
"Over the years, it is encouraging to observe that more individuals and organisations take interest in reintegration issues," said Mr Tan, who is also chairman of Yellow Ribbon Singapore - a statutory board under the Ministry of Home Affairs which helps former offenders rebuild their lives and lower the recidivism rate.
"The network strives to ignite new connections to widen our reach in the community and deepen existing partnerships to empower beneficiaries to lead a brighter future and contribute back to society."
