Advancing Self-harm Risk Assessment in Custodial Settings: Insights from the SADA Project in the Irish Prison Service (PID246)
Coffee Break & Exhibition
Dr Orla Gallagher is Research Development and Evaluation Manager in the Irish Prison Service (IPS). In this role she is developing the organisation’s first Research Unit and overseeing all internal, collaborative and external research in the IPS.
In her previous role as Post-Doctoral Researcher in the IPS she explored the potential of an Expert by Experience role in the organisation, whilst also completing a scoping exercise for a potential new model of care for neurodivergent people in custody with the Office of Independent Senator Lynn Ruane.
In 2023 she completed her PhD – funded by the IPS - at the School of Psychology, University College Dublin, where she remains an Adjunct Professor. Her PhD research used the novel Power Threat Meaning Framework to explore serious violence and disruption in the National Violence Reduction Unit in the Midlands Prison.
She has previously completed a MSc in Clinical Forensic Psychology at King’s College London and a BA in Psychology and Sociology at the University of Limerick.
Karen joined Yellow Ribbon Singapore (YRSG) in 2013 and has held a range of portfolios, including overseeing the organisation’s strategic corporate planning and managing Selarang Halfway House, a secular step-down residential facility for ex-offenders. Prior to joining YRSG, she served as a uniformed Prison Officer from 1998 to 2011, undertaking diverse staff and operational postings.
In her current post, Karen oversees the Careers@YR team, comprising Career Specialists and Career Coaches, who offer career facilitation services to inmates and ex-offenders to aid them in their reintegration journey. Through the career facilitation services, inmates and ex-offenders can (a) better appreciate job options that are suitable based on their strengths, competencies and aspirations; (b) plan and chart practical career development pathways; and (c) anticipate and visualise potential work challenges and navigate these challenges.
Driven by the goal of reducing longer-term recidivism and promoting sustained desistance, Karen continues to derive immense satisfaction from and through her current work in YRSG.
Ashish Ben is a Career Coach with Yellow Ribbon Singapore’s Careers@YR Division, where he has served since 2021. He supports individuals returning to the community after incarceration to stabilise in sustainable employment, by providing personalised career retention support for up to 12 months post‑release. His work spans the full arc of the employment journey — from facilitating career‑focused circle sessions to prepare clients mentally for work, to ongoing support through workplace engagement and regular check‑ins.
As a key liaison between clients and employers, Ben works to bridge differing expectations and perspectives, surfaces workplace risks early, and supports employers to adopt practical, inclusive, and retention‑focused practices that enable successful reintegration. His practice spans clients across different life stages and sectors, including both blue‑ and white‑collar roles. He also led the development of the Referral Bridges initiative, a standardised inter‑agency referral approach to support clients whose needs extend beyond employment.
Ben is a WSG Career Development Framework (CDF) Certified Career Practitioner and is currently pursuing the NUS Professional Certificate in Correctional Management (2026). Guided by a strong belief in second chances and the role of meaningful employment in supporting long‑term desistance, Ben brings a grounded, practitioner‑led perspective to discussions on collaborative partnerships in modern corrections.
Aishah currently leads the Yellow Ribbon Project (YRP) Secretariat at Yellow Ribbon Singapore (YRSG), overseeing strategic advocacy campaigns, stakeholder partnerships, volunteer management, and secretariat functions supporting the YRP Steering Committee. Her work is directed towards transforming public perceptions and growing a community of advocates committed to giving ex-offenders a second chance, with the broader goal of developing the Yellow Ribbon Project into a sustained movement, both locally and internationally.
Prior to her current role, Aishah joined YRSG in 2012 as a Career Coach, supporting ex-offenders in securing and retaining meaningful employment. She went on to lead the Careers@YR team in the Reintegration Group, working closely with employers, self-help groups, and employment agencies to address the practical and personal challenges clients face as they transition back into the workforce. She also shaped the division's Career Management Framework, drove process automation, and represented the team on media-related matters.
Guided by a deep belief in second chances and the power of community to support long-term reintegration, Aishah is currently pursuing a Master's Degree in Forensic Psychology at Singapore University of Social Sciences, further grounding her practice in the psychological dimensions of desistance and rehabilitation.
Dr. Kylie Lui is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Social Work and Social Administration and an affiliated lecturer in the Department of History at the University of Hong Kong. She earned her PhD in Sociology from HKU, with an award-winning thesis on sporting territoriality and body politics, and an MPhil in Multi-disciplinary Gender Studies from Cambridge.
Currently, Kylie contributes to the Jockey Club Project ReBond and Blue Bus programs, serving justice-involved individuals and their families in incarcerated settings and beyond. Her ongoing research explores bodily discipline in youth bodybuilding, the construction of masculinities in Chinese martial arts, and the roles of sports within correctional settings.
