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Monday 23 April 2012
Review of jail term cut for good conduct
A longstanding scheme that gives prisoners an automatic and unconditional one-third reduction of their jail term for good conduct is set to be replaced, in a move to cut down the number of convicts who keep returning to a life of crime.
A longstanding scheme that gives prisoners an automatic and unconditional one-third reduction of their jail term for good conduct is set to be replaced, in a move to cut down the number of convicts who keep returning to a life of crime.
What could take its place is a parole-type system, in which the prisoner is given early release from jail - but with conditions to serve the one-third portion.
This new possibility is being considered by the Home Affairs Ministry, said Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean yesterday.
But for three groups of high-risk repeat offenders, the decision has been taken to make this compulsory under the new Mandatory Aftercare Scheme.
The three groups are drug offenders, those jailed for property offences but have previous drug convictions, and people put behind bars for other serious offences.
In calling for a radical shift in thinking about the one-third remission, Mr. Teo noted that convicts jailed five times or more made up slightly more than half the 12,500 people in prison last year.
‘Given that multiple repeat offenders now form the majority of the prison population, more focus needs to be provided in the period after their release when they are at their most vulnerable,’ he said.
Mr. Teo, who is also the Home Affairs Minister, was addressing officers attending the annual work plan meeting of the Prisons Department and Singapore Corporation of Rehabilitative Enterprises (Score), which helps train prisoners in skills that will get them jobs when released.
He said the parole system in places such as Canada, the United Kingdom and Hong Kong will be studied to work out the ‘form of conditional remission system suitable for our context’.
The current unconditional remission system has been in place for more than 50 years.
An attempt to modify it was made in the late 1970s when then-Score chairman Baey Lian Peck sought to have the prisoners spend their one-third remission at Score, where they would be helped to start a business or do a trade.
But it was turned down by the judiciary.
Now, the situation is being revisited following the recommendations of the inter-agency Committee on the Prevention of Re-Offending, chaired by Minister of State for Home Affairs Masagos Zulkifli.
The committee found that high-risk offenders were most likely to return to crime within the first year of their release. The reasons for the relapse: no family support, no stable roof over their head and no steady job.
As for the new Mandatory Aftercare Scheme, which takes effect next year, Mr. Teo said its target is the drug offenders.
Their numbers have risen in the past six years and prisoners with drug records made up 79 per cent of the local prison population last year.
Prison officials estimate that 1,400 prisoners will go on the scheme annually. They will be on it for between six months and two years.
During this time, they will be placed under supervision and face such restrictions as curfew hours and electronic monitoring, as well as counselling. This involves stints at halfway houses and home detention.
Counsellors welcomed the move, saying it was timely for the many repeat offenders held under the Long Term Detention drug laws, which can jail them for between five and 13 years. The first group will be freed this year.
‘It will be quite a struggle for them to reintegrate into society, so they have to be hand-held,’ said the vice-president of Teen Challenge, Mr. Sam Kuna.
With webcam surveillance, you can login from any computer, from any corner of the world and watch what is going on in your house. Whether you're on vacation, or away at work, your home is just a click away. What's more, most webcam software providers like GotoCamera even allow you to login from your mobile phone and watch videos of your home.
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Review of jail term cut for good conduct
K.C. Vijayan
18 April 2012
A longstanding scheme that gives prisoners an automatic and unconditional one-third reduction of their jail term for good conduct is set to be replaced, in a move to cut down the number of convicts who keep returning to a life of crime.
What could take its place is a parole-type system, in which the prisoner is given early release from jail - but with conditions to serve the one-third portion.
This new possibility is being considered by the Home Affairs Ministry, said Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean yesterday.
But for three groups of high-risk repeat offenders, the decision has been taken to make this compulsory under the new Mandatory Aftercare Scheme.
The three groups are drug offenders, those jailed for property offences but have previous drug convictions, and people put behind bars for other serious offences.
In calling for a radical shift in thinking about the one-third remission, Mr. Teo noted that convicts jailed five times or more made up slightly more than half the 12,500 people in prison last year.
‘Given that multiple repeat offenders now form the majority of the prison population, more focus needs to be provided in the period after their release when they are at their most vulnerable,’ he said.
Mr. Teo, who is also the Home Affairs Minister, was addressing officers attending the annual work plan meeting of the Prisons Department and Singapore Corporation of Rehabilitative Enterprises (Score), which helps train prisoners in skills that will get them jobs when released.
He said the parole system in places such as Canada, the United Kingdom and Hong Kong will be studied to work out the ‘form of conditional remission system suitable for our context’.
The current unconditional remission system has been in place for more than 50 years.
An attempt to modify it was made in the late 1970s when then-Score chairman Baey Lian Peck sought to have the prisoners spend their one-third remission at Score, where they would be helped to start a business or do a trade.
But it was turned down by the judiciary.
Now, the situation is being revisited following the recommendations of the inter-agency Committee on the Prevention of Re-Offending, chaired by Minister of State for Home Affairs Masagos Zulkifli.
The committee found that high-risk offenders were most likely to return to crime within the first year of their release. The reasons for the relapse: no family support, no stable roof over their head and no steady job.
As for the new Mandatory Aftercare Scheme, which takes effect next year, Mr. Teo said its target is the drug offenders.
Their numbers have risen in the past six years and prisoners with drug records made up 79 per cent of the local prison population last year.
Prison officials estimate that 1,400 prisoners will go on the scheme annually. They will be on it for between six months and two years.
During this time, they will be placed under supervision and face such restrictions as curfew hours and electronic monitoring, as well as counselling. This involves stints at halfway houses and home detention.
Counsellors welcomed the move, saying it was timely for the many repeat offenders held under the Long Term Detention drug laws, which can jail them for between five and 13 years. The first group will be freed this year.
‘It will be quite a struggle for them to reintegrate into society, so they have to be hand-held,’ said the vice-president of Teen Challenge, Mr. Sam Kuna.
With webcam surveillance, you can login from any computer, from any corner of the world and watch what is going on in your house. Whether you're on vacation, or away at work, your home is just a click away. What's more, most webcam software providers like GotoCamera even allow you to login from your mobile phone and watch videos of your home.
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