Incoming prisons chief a 27-year Home Team veteran and ex-head of Yellow Ribbon scheme

SINGAPORE – The new prisons chief taking over from the Commissioner, Ms Shie Yong Lee, is 27-year Home Team veteran Matthew Wee Yik Keong, whose stints include helming the Yellow Ribbon project.

Ms Shie, 53, is

the first woman to lead the Singapore Prison Service

. She will step down on April 1 and take on the role of deputy secretary (corporate) at the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on the same day.

Taking over from her is Mr Wee, Deputy Commissioner of Prisons (operations and rehabilitation), 51, said MHA in a statement on Feb 2.

Ms Shie held a raft of key roles during her 30-year career in the Home Team, including deputy prisons commissioner and chief of staff, as well as director of civil defence and rehabilitation at the MHA policy development division.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Ms Shie, in her role as prisons chief, helped implement containment strategies.

She also tapped technology to improve the prisons service, such as setting up CCTV surveillance coverage and video analytics for a safer environment, and letting inmates send e-letters to their families on tablets.

Ms Shie also drove the automation of routine tasks, which gave prison officers more time for deeper interactions with inmates and to learn about their rehabilitative needs.

Mr Wee is was in charge of reviewing the Community Action for the Rehabilitation of Ex-Offenders Network, which introduced a cross-sector mentorship scheme for ex-offenders.

He also improved research skills in the prisons and set up evidence-based rehabilitation that aims to lower the rate of re-offending in Singapore.

Mr Wee also served as chief executive of Yellow Ribbon, a statutory board under MHA, which provides skills training and career development for former offenders.

During his time with Yellow Ribbon, Mr Wee oversaw a restructuring and rebranding exercise, with a new focus on lifelong learning and long-term career growth.