Public to weigh in on rehabilitation of ex-offenders

Members of the public here will be given the chance to weigh in on strategies to help former offenders stay on the right path and not return to a life of crime during a three-day virtual summit which kicked off yesterday.

The event is organised by the Community Action for the Rehabilitation of Ex-Offenders (Care) Network and about 500 participants, including university students and faculty members, are expected to tune in.

Discussions will cover topics such as employment for former offenders, support for their families, and catering to the needs of different groups of former offenders such as youth, the elderly and those with mental health concerns.

The dialogues are part of the network's efforts to adopt a whole-of-community approach to help former offenders rehabilitate and reintegrate into society.

During her opening address at the launch of the summit yesterday, Minister for Communications and Information Josephine Teo discussed initiatives to strengthen support for former offenders and their families beyond employment opportunities amid the pandemic.

"Care Network's next horizon is about supporting ex-offenders to stay crime-free over the longer term. Today, about four in 10 ex-offenders go back to prison within five years of release. We must do more to improve this five-year recidivism rate," she said.

Mrs Teo, who is also Second Minister for Home Affairs, highlighted the key areas the network had focused on in the past year following a 2019 review that examined initiatives to further reduce the recidivism rate.

In order to advance the capabilities of agencies and individuals in the network, a framework was launched in April last year. It curates suitable training courses for professionals such as social workers, case managers and volunteers, to equip them with the right tools to support their clients.

And to further strengthen reintegration and support for inmates during their time in prison and after, two of the network's partners - the Singapore Anti-Narcotics Association and the Industrial and Services Co-operative Society - launched a programme in January to encourage former offenders to embrace interest groups such as Break the Cycle SG and Canvas Arts.

Counsellor Ranjit Singh from the National Addictions Management Service at the Institute of Mental Health was one of the members of the working group that made recommendations as part of the review to tackle recidivism.

Mr Singh turned to drugs when he was 19 years old. In his 30s, he enrolled himself in The Helping Hand halfway house to overcome his drug addiction. Now, at 59, he draws on his own experience when engaging patients as an addiction counsellor.

Said Mr Singh: "Recovery is all about finding meaning and purpose, and interest groups - like a sports group or arts group - can help former addicts cope."

Since its inception in 2000, Care Network has been expanding its reach to more community partners over the years, including a collaboration set up this February between the Yellow Ribbon Fund (YRF) and the Singapore Federation of Chinese Clan Associations (SFCCA) to provide financial assistance to selected inmates who qualify for the Singapore University of Social Sciences degree programmes offered in Prison School.

Other community partners the network is working with include non-profit group AMP - formerly known as the Association of Muslim Professionals - and the Singapore Indian Development Association.