Singapore Prison Service
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The Singapore Prison Service is a government agency under the Ministry of Home Affairs. Headquartered at 407 Upper Changi Road North, it administers nine prisons and drug rehabilitation centres (DRCs) in Singapore. In addition to ensuring the secure custody of its inmates, the prison service works to help them turn over a new leaf and reintegrate into society after their release. Since 1999, it has adopted the slogan "Captains of Lives" to reflect its shift away from being purely a custodian of prisoners. As "captains" of the lives of those in its custody, the prison service sees itself as being instrumental in guiding ex-offenders towards becoming responsible and productive members of society.
Roles and Responsibilities
The basic function of the prison service is to keep offenders in custody. In addition, it assists other crime-fighting agencies in the detection and prevention of criminal activities by passing on valuable information gained through its daily interaction with inmates and by conducting education programmes aimed at deterring youths and children from committing crimes. Another major role that has been given increasing emphasis is the rehabilitation of former offenders. The objective of rehabilitation is to prevent crime by minimising recidivism.
History
The prison service in Singapore has a very long history that began in 1825 with the arrival of the first penal convicts from other British colonies. The British built a total of four prisons here, the last one being Changi Prison. All have since been demolished. The prison service currently runs nine prisons and drug rehabilitation centres. However, plans are underway to consolidate all these establishments into the new Changi Prison Complex, a sprawling development spread over 48 hectares of land.
The penal philosophy adopted by the prison service has changed through the years. In the beginning, imprisonment was seen mainly as a deterrence measure, a way to discourage former and potential offenders from engaging in illegal activities through fear of punishment. However, the philosophy adopted now is based on the belief that prisoners can be reformed and rehabilitated so that they will avoid criminal behaviour after their release not because they are afraid of punishment but because they have genuinely changed for the better.
The shift in approach began as early as the 1940s. Work programmes were introduced during this period, with the primary aim of teaching prisoners a trade that can help them earn an honest living after their release. The activities of the prison industries have included farming, carpentry, tailoring, shoe repair, printing and laundering. In 1957, the Reformative Training Centre was opened to carry out reformative training for young offenders aged 16 to 21. Education was a compulsory component of the programme, with the various classes conducted by qualified teachers. Education and vocational training are still important elements of the rehabilitation process today.
The prison service has continually sought new ways to improve the effectiveness of its rehabilitation programme. Among its recent initiatives are tele-visiting and home detention. In recognition of the importance of family support, tele-visits via video-conferencing were introduced in 1999 to make it easier for family members to maintain communication with inmates. To facilitate the involvement of family and community in the rehabilitation of criminal offenders, the Home Detention Scheme was implemented in 2000. Under this scheme, eligible prisoners are allowed to serve out their jail time at home, provided they comply with the stipulated curfew hours.
Description
The prisons and DRCs run by the prison service are:
- Admiralty West Prison
- Changi Prison Cluster A
- Changi Women's Prison
- Kaki Bukit Centre
- Khalsa Crescent Prison
- Queenstown Remand Prison
- Sembawang DRC
- Selarang Park DRC
- Tanah Merah Prison
The newest prison, Cluster A at Changi Prison, is part of the massive Changi Prison Complex, which will be able to accommodate 23,000 inmates when fully completed. Cluster A has five blocks with a combined capacity of 5,300 inmates. By FY 2012, another three clusters will be completed. The building of the fourth and final cluster is subject to a yearly review.
A centralised school for inmates is located at the Kaki Bukit Centre. The Prison School is a place where inmates from the various establishments can come together to study, attend classes and sit for examinations. Among other things, it offers academic (GCE 'N', 'O' and 'A' Levels) and vocational courses, as well as enrichment activities and life-skills programmes.
Timeline
1825 : First batch of penal convicts arrived in Singapore and were housed in temporary huts along Bras Basah Canal. The penal philosophy adopted was based on punishment rather than rehabilitation.
1841 : The first prison, known as the Convict Gaol, was built at Bras Basah.
1847 : Civil Jail at Pearl's Hill was built.
1882 : Her Majesty's Service (HMS) Criminal Jail was built beside the Civil Jail. The two jails were jointly administered as Outram Prison.
1936 : Changi Prison was built.
1937 : At the opening ceremony of Changi Prison, O. L. Hancock, Inspector of Prisons for the Straits Settlements and the Federated Malay States, articulated a vision of the prisons becoming a training ground for prisoners.
1946 : The prison service was institutionalised as a Department and G. E. W. W. Bayly, the superintendent of Changi Prison, became the first Commissioner of Prisons.
1948 : Prison Enquiry Commission was set up to review the administration of penal institutions. The Commission advocated the adoption of a new philosophy of reform and rehabilitation. Some of its recommendations were subsequently implemented.
1955 : Opium Treatment Centre was opened on St John's Island for the custody and treatment of opium addicts.
1957 : Reformative Training Centre was opened to carry out reformative training for young offenders.
1959 : Prisons Inquiry Commission was formed to review the existing prison system.
1960 : The Commission published its report and its recommendations again emphasised a reformative/rehabilitative approach.
1960 : A rehabilitation settlement was set up on Pulau Senang for criminal law detainees. It was a bold experiment in penal rehabilitation where the prisoners were allowed to roam freely and tasked with developing the island into an attractive settlement for themselves.
1963 : A group of detainees on Pulau Senang rioted, killed the superintendent and three officers, and destroyed many of the buildings. The incident led to the closure of the island settlement as a penal institution.
1973 : Opium Treatment Centre at St John's Island was converted into Singapore's first DRC.
1974 : Prisons Reorganisation Committee was formed to review the system of rehabilitation. It recommended several measures to help reduce recidivism.
1980 : The prison service adopted a new strategy based on the key principles of segregation and rehabilitation to reduce recidivism.
31 Dec 1999 : Ground-breaking ceremony for the Changi Prison Complex, marking the official start of construction.
3 Jan 2000 : Prison School in Kaki Bukit Centre commenced operations.
16 Aug 2004 : Changi Prison Cluster A officially opened.
Author
Valerie Chew
References
Chong, C. K. (1999, December 29). Prison inmates head to school [Microfilm: NL20363]. The Straits Times, Home, p. 29.
Fong, T. (2004, August 17). New Changi Prison goes high-tech [Microfilm: NL25651]. The Straits Times, p. 3.
More prisoners to serve jail time at home, under expanded Home Detention Scheme. (2004, September 27). Channel NewsAsia. Retrieved January 30, 2009, from Factiva database.
Morgan, P. (1955, February 5). Whole world watches this store experiment [Microfilm: NL1773]. The Straits Times, p. 8.
New prison complex underway [Microfilm: NL20364]. (2000, January 1). The Straits Times, p. 3.
Singapore. (1951). Annual report 1950. Singapore: Government Printing Office.
(Call no.: RCLOS 959.57 SIN)
Singapore. (1955). Annual report 1954. Singapore: Government Printing Office.
(Call no.: RCLOS 959.57 SIN)
Singapore. (1958). Annual report 1957. Singapore: Government Printing Office.
(Call no.: RCLOS 959.57 SIN)
Singapore. (1964). Annual report 1963. Singapore: Government Printing Office.
(Call no.: RCLOS 959.57 SIN)
Singapore. (1965). Annual report 1964. Singapore: Government Printing Office.
(Call no.: RCLOS 959.57 SIN)
Singapore Prisons Department. (1991). Prison Service annual 1990. Singapore: Author.
(Call no.: RSING 365.95957 SPDPSA)
Singapore Prisons Department. (1993). Prison Service annual 1992. Singapore: Author.
(Call no.: RSING 365.95957 SPDPSA)
Singapore Prison Service. (n.d.). Changi Prison Complex. Retrieved February 3, 2009, from http://www.prisons.gov.sg/changi_prison_complex.html
Singapore Prison Service. (n.d.). Co-ordinated aftercare. Retrieved January 28, 2009, from http://www.prisons.gov.sg/coordinated_aftercare.html
Singapore Prison Service. (n.d.). Halfway care. Retrieved February 3, 2009, from http://www.prisons.gov.sg/halfway_care.html
Singapore Prison Service. (n.d.). Our history. Retrieved January 28, 2009, from http://www.prisons.gov.sg/our_history.html
Singapore Prison Service. (n.d.). Our transformation. Retrieved January 28, 2009, from http://www.prisons.gov.sg/our_transformation.html
Singapore Prison Service. (n.d.). Televisit. Retrieved February 3, 2009, from http://www.prisons.gov.sg/televisit.html
Yeoh, E., Kaur, K., & Lim, K. (2000, March 26). Tag and release for 40 convicts [Microfilm: NL20383]. The Straits Times, Home, p. 34.
Further reading
Singapore's new $2,000,000 prison [Microfilm: NL2365]. (1936, December 13). The Sunday Times, p. 9.
The information in this article is valid as at 2009 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.
Subject
Politics and Government>>Law
Prisons--Singapore
Law and government