| 4. In which ways is the initiative creative and innovative?
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10. Very often, the role of prisoners rehabilitation is only associated solely with the correctional service but in Singapore, it has become a nation-wide approach to reduce recidivism. Through the YRCP, Voluntary Welfare Organizations (VWOs), governmental agencies and the grassroots community as well as families of the inmates.
11. Due to the active involvement of the grassroots in the YRCP, many politicians, community and grassroots leaders and corporate partners had made time and effort to support the YRCP, and spread the message of community acceptance for offenders’ rehabilitation.
12. In YRCP, the strength and capabilities of community volunteers are maximised. By tapping into this valuable community resource, the sustainability of the YRCP is achieved. The grassroots organisations play an important role in supporting the families that live within their communities, and continue to remain available even after the offender is released from custody. Many grassroots divisions have since taken ownership of the project, customising it to suit the needs of residents in their community. It evolved into a collective “Community Project” in Singapore, carried out by the respective grassroots communities for the welfare and benefit of their residents
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| 5. Who implemented the initiative and what is the size of the population affected by this initiative?
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13. The SPS is an agency within the Ministry of Home Affairs. Together with the Police, Immigrations, Civil Defence and Central Narcotics Departments, we make up what is also known as the Home Team, a collection of governmental agencies dedicated to safeguarding the safety and internal security of Singapore. Today, the SPS administers a total of 13 institutions, and provides safe and secure custody for about 12,000 inmates.
14. To enhance coordination of rehabilitation efforts, an Inter-Ministry Committee was set up by the Ministry of Home Affairs in April 2009 to study and propose recommendations to address the problem of reoffending in Singapore. One of the recommendations made included the need to strengthen community-based networks that would serve to provide protective factors for inmates with the key focus to leverage on the grassroots and community in taking ownership of offenders’ rehabilitation.
15. Hence SPS started the YRCP in September 2010. Since its implementation, the YRCP has grown from a mere eight participating divisions to a total of 67 today. From fewer than 60 grassroots volunteers in 2010, the number of volunteers has grown steadily to close to 900 today and has effectively reached out to more than 5,000 families of offenders.
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| 6. How was the strategy implemented and what resources were mobilized?
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16. As the success of YRCP and the quality of the support provided to offenders’ families under the initiative is contingent on the participation of the grassroots community, it is crucial to actively engage the grassroots volunteers. A series of engagement activities have been conducted for this community stakeholder to garner support for the initiative and to better align the grassroots volunteers to the objectives of YRCP.
17. An awards and appreciation ceremony is held annually for all grassroots volunteers to show appreciation towards the outreach work that the volunteers have done thus far. The ceremony also aims to encourage greater participation from the respective grassroots divisions through the recruitment of new volunteers for YRCP and to bring interested grassroots divisions on board.
18. Besides the ceremony, quarterly engagement session for volunteers comprises a visit to a prison institution to allow grassroots volunteers to understand how prison life is like for the offenders, and hence to aid them to better engage offenders’ families during their home visits and outreach efforts. The session also featured personal sharing from offenders who have benefited from the initiatives, and from sharing from experienced grassroots volunteers. In addition, the prison visit session allows the grassroots volunteers to network and learn from each other, through the sharing of success stories.
19. Apart from organising the prison visits, regular dialogue sessions with the grassroots advisors were also conducted to create awareness and garner support for YRCP, and to encourage participation from the grassroots divisions who have yet to be on board the initiative, in a bid to expand the reach of YRCP and to benefit more offenders’ families. The dialogue session with the grassroots advisors mainly focuses on gathering feedback on the initiative and looking into new innovative ways to support offenders’ families who often fall through the cracks of current social support networks.
20. Furthermore, it is also important to ensure that volunteers are equipped with a basic level of competency in required skill sets before they commence their outreach efforts to offenders’ families. SPS therefore provides training to all grassroots volunteers to equip them with the basic skills required to work with offenders’ families and to conduct a basic assessment of the family’s needs during the initial home visits.
21. In November 2013, a research partnership was commissioned by SPS and the Singapore Institute Management University for evaluation of the programme. From the findings, a clear message echoed was a deep interest by the grassroots volunteers to want to do more for the families and to ensure that the help needed is given. Hence in May 2016, SPS enhanced the YRCP to provide further proactive support and assistance to the families of offenders.
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| 7. Who were the stakeholders involved in the design of the initiative and in its implementation?
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22. With the support from Ministry of Home Affairs, SPS maintains oversight and overall coordination of the initiative, and works closely with the grassroots volunteers to roll out the initiative in the local communities. The other key community partners involved in YRCP are Singapore Anti-Narcotics Association (SANA), the Grassroots Advisors, Yellow Ribbon Champions (YRCs) and the grassroots volunteers. The roles of the key community partners are elaborated further in this section.
23. SPS will notify the grassroots community who would get in touch with offender’s kin using contact information provided by the offender. The process ends with SPS updating the offender regarding the outcome upon receiving the information from the grassroots.
24. The main role of SANA in YRCP is to act as the overall coordinator for the grassroots community involved in the initiative. A dedicated project manager from SANA has been appointed to assist SPS to oversee the day-to-day running of YRCP, monitor the progress in each division, and to act as the link between SPS and volunteers from the respective grassroots divisions.
25. Grassroots volunteers from the local community form a strong support network for residents in the respective districts. They are currently organised into 89 divisions, and a grassroots advisor has been assigned to each divisions. Under the leadership of the advisor, the grassroots volunteers would the share information on the available community resources/services and link the family up with the relevant agencies as needed.
26. In every division, the key grassroots volunteer spearheading YRCP is designated as the ‘Yellow Ribbon Champion’ as a form of recognition for the work that they do in helping families of offenders. The Yellow Ribbon Champions supports the advisors by organising the volunteers and providing regular updates on the progress of YRCP in their division.
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| 8. What were the most successful outputs and why was the initiative effective?
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Low recidivism
27. The SPS uses a two-year recidivism rate to track the rate of repeat offenders in Singapore, and has been tracking it since 1998. Encouragingly, Singapore is witnessing a sustained improvement in the recidivism rate. The proportion of inmates from the 2014 cohort who re-offended within two years of their release stood at 26.5%, from what was 44% for the batch released in 1998. The low and stable recidivism rate in Singapore could be attributed to inmates securing family and community support as well as gainful and stable employment through the YRCP. Figures also showed a continued dip in the number of people admitted into prison. There were 10,211 convicted penal admissions in 2016, compared to 10,635 admissions in 2015 and 11,595 in 2014.
Improved public perception
28. YRCP is perceived as important and successful in providing needed support and assistance. From the evaluation study findings conducted in 2013, families visited generally find that their access to resources has improved. This improvement takes the form of increased awareness of the availability of assistance schemes and in connecting with and benefiting from the help provided by the government and non-governmental organisations. 64 per cent of families interviewed have also experienced improved living conditions through participation in the YRCP.
Awareness and acceptance
29. Through the YRCP, stories of the plights families faced, especially the impact of incarceration on children is now being made aware to the community, which the community can better appreciate the reality of incarceration and understand the reintegration issues faced by offenders. This has helped to significantly reduce the stigmatisation of ex-offenders. More inmates are securing jobs across various sectors even before their release, as more employers show greater interest and support in hiring ex-offenders. In 2016, out of the 2,061 inmates referred to the Singapore Corporation of Rehabilitative Enterprises (SCORE), 96 per cent were able secure jobs while still serving their sentences.
Rekindling of family ties
30. Based on the evaluation study conducted in 2013, the YRCP has a positive effect on reintegration for offenders. Through exercising of the consent to initiate the YRCP process by the offender, is an affirmation that he cares about the well-being of his dependents and loved ones. When informed of the decision by the incarcerated kin, positive emotions are evoked, often mixed with a tinge of sadness and regret. This effect encourages the strengthening of kinship ties, fostering a stronger willingness to forgive and reconcile with the offender.
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| 9. What were the main obstacles encountered and how were they overcome?
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31. There are three major obstacles that were being encountered. One, there is no available blueprint to fall back upon as SPS sought to promote community-based volunteerism on a national wide scale. At the early onset during the preparation phase, the SPS project team had to conduct door-to-door meetings with various grassroots divisions in bid to link up all the community stakeholders from grassroots with the social agencies. Within SPS, there was also a need to ensure close collaboration between the various ground units and the project team so that all operational requirements to facilitate YRCP were duly considered and addressed. It was a delicate exercise for the team to ensure that all needs and expectations were moderated, and most importantly, a strong partnership between SPS and the grassroots be forged.
32. The second major challenge was in building up capability of the grassroots volunteers. Working with families of the incarcerated ones is challenging and complex. Some families remained unresponsive despite good intention to render assistance to them. For a start, SPS provides the volunteers with basic trainings that cover areas such as programme orientation and basic understanding of ex-offenders and their families. Frequent dialogues and sharing through various platforms helped equipped the volunteers with the best practices. Subsequently a strong core pool of volunteers was built and they also provided useful peer-to-peer learnings for the new volunteers. More recently, professional trainings on conducting effective home visits and case assessment were added to the trainings.
33. The third major challenge was in convincing the inmates to believe in this project. The earlier inmate cohorts had uncertainty in the project or were unsure if grassroots volunteers could help their families. A comprehensive communications package was developed and delivered by SPS officers to help the inmates to understand the benefits of YRCP.
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