This presentation outlines Singapore Prison Service (SPS)’s strategy for organisational excellence through staff recruitment and retention, training, and development of a lively and robust organisational culture.
To strengthen its workforce, SPS has enhanced its recruitment efforts through extensive publicity and outreach efforts, green harvesting, and internship programmes with tertiary institutions, creating sustained interest in corrections careers. Enhanced career development pathways, such as job rotations, seek to expose and strengthen our officers in different capacities.
There are also concerted efforts within SPS for a systemic and holistic approach in staff wellbeing. The PRISHealth framework takes on a broad approach to promote physical, social, mental, and financial wellness through various initiatives (e.g., events; talks) for fitter, healthier and happier workforce.
SPS’s comprehensive training framework combines operational excellence with soft skills development, supported by mentorship and leadership development programmes. SPS is fostering a coach-like culture to develop future-ready leaders, emphasising the integration of coaching mindsets and behaviours into daily work interactions.
Townhalls, Leadership Circles, and Mug Meet-ups are three key culture-building initiatives which serve multiple strategic purposes - from fostering organisational transparency and trust between leadership and ground staff, to creating informal networking spaces that strengthen cross-divisional relationships.
With these strategies, SPS has significantly transformed over the years from a custodial agency to a correctional service that supports the lives of offenders, and its staff spearheading the change.
Moderated by Mariana Martin, Deputy Commissioner-General: Rehabilitation and Reintegration, Namibian Correctional Service, Namibia
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Rashida Mohamed Zain
Senior Assistant Director, Principal Psychologist, Singapore Prison Service, Singapore
Rashida Mohamed Zain is a Senior Assistant Director, Principal Psychologist, in the Operational Psychology Branch of the Psychological and Correctional Rehabilitation Division. Her branch oversees mental health and wellness initiatives, crisis intervention, and selection in the specialized units in SPS. Trained in Clinical Psychology, Rashida supervises her team in their staff counselling cases in providing psychotherapy to SPS staff with mental health challenges and supporting them through their personal crisis. Her branch oversees the CARE (Caring Action in Response to an Emergency) peer support system that provides critical crisis support to SPS staff. In ensuring relevance to current contexts, Rashida and her team are involved in research studies and evaluations to identify needs and intervention areas for a well-functioning workforce in the Singapore Prison Service.
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Luke Leong
Superintendent, Institution Tanah Merah, Singapore Prison Service, Singapore
Luke Leong has been with the Singapore Prison Service since 2010. He has completed stints in operations and policy work, including postings with the Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He is currently the Superintendent of Institution Tanah Merah, which houses Singapore’s Prison School and Reformative Training Centre.
