This plenary sharing will cover Singapore's correctional approach of integrated "throughcare", where the change process begins in prison and continues even when the inmate returns to society. The Singapore Prison Service (SPS) adopts evidence-informed in-care programmes designed to address the inmates' criminogenic thinking and behaviour, build their pro-social support, enhance their employability, human and social capital to prevent re-offending and facilitate long-term desistance in the community. With tight resource constraints, SPS has widely leveraged the use of technology, digitalisation, research, community partnerships, and public communication through mainstream and social media to aid SPS in its work.
Aside from the efforts of SPS, an ecosystem of support in the community is critical to achieve desistance for ex-offenders. Hence, SPS works closely with Yellow Ribbon Singapore (YRSG) to raise employability, build public trust, and galvanise the community. The Yellow Ribbon Project (YRP) started in 2004 as a national public engagement campaign to change society’s mindset in giving ex-offenders a second chance in life and is anchored on 3As – raising Awareness, generating Acceptance, and inspiring community Action to support the rehabilitation and reintegration of ex-offenders for a more inclusive society. SPS and YRSG have sustained YRP efforts for about 20 years, and public perception surveys have shown improvements over the years in the community’s support for the rehabilitation and reintegration of ex-offenders.
Singapore has also seen its 2-year recidivism rate decrease and stabilise from around 40% in the early 2000s to about 20% in 2020. This plenary will share how the correctional approach of SPS has evolved over the years, its rehabilitation and reintegration efforts, as well as its collaboration with the whole-of-government, community partners, volunteers, employers, ex-offenders, and their families.
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Yong Lee Shie
Commissioner, Singapore Prison Service
Yong Lee joined Singapore Prison Service (SPS) in 1995 after graduating from the National University of Singapore (NUS). Yong Lee’s key appointments in SPS include operations and command stints in the prisons, leadership roles in research and planning, development of rehabilitation programmes, policy reviews and legislative changes to facilitate the rehabilitation and reintegration of offenders. Specifically, she has undertaken leadership roles as Head Operations of Changi Women’s Prison, Head Research & Planning, Head Programme, Deputy Director (Civil Defence & Rehabilitation) in Ministry of Home Affairs and Commander Cluster of five prisons. Yong Lee was the Deputy Commissioner (Policy & Transformation) of SPS since 2015 and was appointed as Commissioner of SPS in September 2020, where she led SPS to expand community corrections and galvanise community for reintegration of inmates into society.
