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Speech by President Halimah Yacob for the SPS75 Commemorative Event

Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law

 

 

 

Associate Professor Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of National Development

 

 

 

Commissioner Shie Yong Lee

 

 

 

Distinguished Guests

 

 

 

Ladies and Gentlemen

 

 

 

 

 

A very good afternoon to all of you. I am glad to be here today to commemorate this significant milestone in the journey of the Singapore Prison Service (SPS).

 

 

 

Today, SPS is a trusted and globally recognised correctional agency. SPS’s success is evident from its latest two-year recidivism rate of 22.1 per cent, which is one of the lowest internationally. This means only about one-in-five ex-offenders return to prison within a two-year period after release. SPS’s work in reducing re-offending rates through the rehabilitation and reintegration of offenders has contributed to a safer and more inclusive Singapore society.

 

 

 

As we honour SPS’s achievements, it is worth looking back at the journey SPS has taken, to see how remarkable SPS’s transformation has been.

 

 

 

The start of Singapore’s penal system can be traced to the arrival of the first batch of 80 convicts from India in 1825. At that time, the prison system was managed by colonial administrators who adopted the philosophy of deterrence through punitive measures.

 

 

 

In 1946, the Prisons Department, as SPS was then known, was formally instituted as a Government department.

 

 

 

As it was just after the Second World War, the two prisons and the inmates they held were in bad shape. All local inmates were held at Outram Road Prison, as Changi Prison was used to detain war criminals. There was overcrowding, and security standards were poor.

 

 

 

From that challenging starting point, SPS built up its infrastructure and capabilities over the next few decades. Prisons and drug rehabilitation centres were set up in different parts of Singapore, a couple even on offshore islands, to house different types of offenders. These included the St. John’s Opium Treatment Centre or Drug Rehabilitation Centre, Bedok Reformative Training Centre, Chia Keng Prison and Sembawang Drug Rehabilitation Centre; names which may be familiar to some of us. Some were non-purpose-built institutions, but were refurbished military quarters, set up quickly to house the growing number of drug addicts arising from the stepped-up efforts against drug abuse in the 1970s.

 

 

 

Rehabilitation was recognised as a focus for SPS early on. However, at that time, reformative activities were limited to educational classes, vocational training, and work such as printing, tailoring and farming. Over time, SPS gradually re-organised itself to do more on this front. A Social Service Division was set up in 1972 with five officers, to plan for inmates’ lives after prison. Individual and group counselling for inmates began from this point. In 1985, SPS expanded its work beyond prison walls with the introduction of the work release scheme. Through this, suitable offenders were allowed to serve the tail-end of their sentences in the community, working during the day and returning to the supervision centre in the evening.

 

 

 

The 1990s was a significant period in SPS’s transformation.

 

 

 

At the start of the decade, SPS was still grappling with issues such as overcrowding, inadequate manpower, and low staff morale. Rehabilitation was still limited to vocational training, work and social counselling. The two-year recidivism rate hovered around 50 per cent.

 

 

 

SPS began the 1990s on a drive to enhance its professionalism. Training was ramped up to develop staff skills. Terms and conditions of service were upgraded, to attract staff of good calibre.

 

 

 

The idea for a consolidation of all penal institutions was seeded in that decade, to better achieve the secure custody and rehabilitation of offenders, and optimise limited land and manpower resources. This set the stage for the Changi Prison Complex to be built, incorporating security by design and technology to enhance operations, and infrastructure to support rehabilitation.

 

 

 

Towards the end of the 1990s, SPS unveiled its first ever Shared Vision, introducing the transformative idea of prison officers being “Captains of Lives”. Accompanying the Vision were new ways of facilitating offenders’ rehabilitation. A framework was put in place to guide the rehabilitation of offenders from admission to release. Offenders were matched to rehabilitation programmes based on their risks and needs. Officers were trained to engage those under their charge purposefully and exert a strong positive influence over them.

 

 

 

Since then, SPS has grown from strength to strength, to become a leading correctional agency.

 

 

 

Today, all our prisons and drug rehabilitation centres are purpose-built centralised facilities, with a stellar safety and security record. Our institutions are places of transformation, where inmates can change their mindset, pick up new skills to enhance their employability, and become better persons.

 

 

 

Beyond rehabilitating offenders, SPS supports their families too. This includes providing opportunities for them to strengthen familial ties with offenders, and linking them up with the necessary social support. I am heartened that SPS is doing more for offenders and their families, contributing to the prevention of inter-generational offending.

 

 

 

Over the last three years, SPS has also successfully created a transformed community correctional landscape. More suitable offenders are serving their sentence in the community under proper supervision, and fewer offenders are doing time in prison. There are now about 3,400 supervisees engaged in meaningful employment, training and interventions in the community. They are supported by SPS staff and community partners as they gradually rebuild their lives and find their place back in society as contributing citizens.

 

 

 

I had the chance to visit SPS on several occasions, and I have personally seen how far SPS has progressed in its work, both within and beyond prison walls. For instance, last year, I presented the Bronze and Gold levels of the National Youth Achievement Award, or NYAA, to 15 of the 131 NYAA inmate award recipients who completed the programme, even in the midst of the pandemic. The NYAA programme was introduced in SPS over 20 years ago, to support the rehabilitation of younger offenders. Through their participation, offenders not only develop qualities such as self-reliance and perseverance, but also contribute back to the community. These values and experiences will guide them through the rest of their lives. I saw for myself the motivation in the inmates, their desire to change, spurred on by SPS providing them with the learning opportunities through NYAA and other prison rehabilitation programmes. The inmates’ families were also very proud of their achievement.

 

 

 

Earlier this year, I also visited the Selarang Halfway House. One of the residents shared his schedule with me. He was meaningfully engaged as he could attend job interviews, digital classes and counselling sessions during the week, and was allowed to return home on leave during weekends. He told me that his placement on the community-based programme helped him to gradually reintegrate into society.

 

 

 

SPS has certainly come a long way over the past 75 years. We heard in Commissioner Yong Lee’s address about the former Directors and Commissioners of Prisons who have each played instrumental roles in SPS’s transformation. I applaud our SPS leaders for their sterling leadership and vision.

 

 

 

At the same time, SPS’s achievements would not have been possible without its staff championing and committing to the transformation. SPS staff endure some degree of hardship working in enclosed prisons. The prison environment is not the most pleasant place to work in. There are risks to personal safety; some inmates are difficult to work with. As SPS progressed, the staff also had to take on new roles. Yet they remain committed to their mission. They admonish, discipline and punish if they need to, and still motivate and inspire change in the offenders they work with. I thank all our Captains of Lives, past and present, for their dedicated service.

 

 

 

As much as ‘it takes a village to raise a child’, it similarly takes a village to transform an offender. SPS, on its own, will not be able to help offenders turn their lives around. Strong community support is key in advancing the rehabilitation and reintegration of offenders, and in supporting their families.

 

 

 

The involvement of the community in SPS’s work can be traced back a century to the 1920s, when volunteers ran religious services for prisoners. Today, there are over 3,600 volunteers and 80 community partners supporting offenders, ex-offenders and their families. This means there are more volunteers than SPS staff. Besides religious programmes and services, volunteers now also conduct family and personal development programmes, and provide pro-social support networks, just to name a few. I thank all volunteers for your tireless contributions.

 

 

 

The work done by SPS staff and partners is often unseen by the general public. It can be challenging at times, and may not bring about immediate results. However, it is also very meaningful and can be life-changing. The impact that each of you makes creates a ripple that goes beyond the individual inmate, to touch their families, society, the nation and beyond. Do remember that every inmate’s life you help to successfully turn around does not only result in a reformed ex-offender. It can also bring about a dutiful child, a responsible spouse, a caring parent, a helpful neighbour, and a contributing member of society. I have personally met many of the individuals whose lives you have made a difference to, and who, in turn, went on to positively impact the lives of others. I thus encourage all of you to continue with your good work, to create many more of these success stories.

 

 

 

As SPS marks its 75th anniversary, I am heartened that SPS wants to give back to society at the same time. As part of the SPS75 event, SPS launched the SPS Cares initiative with the target of raising $75,000 for the President’s Challenge 2021. Thank you for helping the President’s Challenge beneficiaries.

 

 

 

In closing, I am confident that SPS will continue to safeguard our prisons and transform lives. Keep on inspiring everyone, at every chance, towards a more inclusive society and a safer Singapore. Thank you.

 

 

Source: President’s Office of Singapore