PROBATION AS A COMMUNITY-BASEDREHABILITATION PROGRAMME(SINGAPORE)
Bernadette Alexander＊

I. INTRODUCTION
The Probation system in Singapore is a court-ordered community-based rehabilitation programme forsuitable offenders. It offers the courts an alternative sentencing option in dealing with offenders who may
otherwise be committed to a juvenile rehabilitation centre or prison. It aims to instil in offenders a strong
sense of social responsibility and self-discipline so that they could lead a crime free life.

II. HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF PROBATION
The development of the probation system in Singapore began in 1947 when it was formed as part of theSocial Welfare Department. It was only in 1948 that an effective system began when an experienced
Probation Officer from the United Kingdom was seconded to the Department to build capabilities inprobation. Although probation as a method of treatment had no statutory sanction in 1948, juvenile
offenders were referred to the department to establish their social and family circumstances. These investigations led to a more expeditious and efficient mode of dealing with such offenders by the courts. The
Service also provided voluntary supervision of juveniles at the request of the parents or welfare agency.
Probation in Singapore initially derived its mandate from the Children and Young Persons Act, CYPA
(1950). The Act provided for the constitution of the establishment of a juvenile court system and a juvenile
probation service. It was only in 1951, when the Probation of Offenders’ Ordinance was passed, that theprobation system was extended to the other courts in the judicial system. The Probation of Offenders Act
had since been revised in 1970 and 1985.
In 1971, as part of the effort to involve the community in the rehabilitation of offenders, the Community
Probation Service was formed. Interested citizens volunteered their time to mentor probationers. In 2012,
the Community Probation Service was renamed the Volunteer Probation Officer scheme to strengthen its
representation as a volunteering scheme.
In October 2001, the CYPA was amended to provide the Juvenile Court with alternative disposition
options in dealing with young offenders. The wider continuum of disposition options enabled morejuveniles to be placed on community-based rehabilitation.
With the inception of the Community Court in June 2006, there was also a shift in the criminal justiceparadigm to consider community-based rehabilitation options for special group of offenders, particularly
youth offenders (including repeat youth offenders) and adult offenders with mental disabilities. Unlike previously where these offenders would not be eligible for probation, Probation Services had been seeing moreof such cases referred by the Courts.

III. STRUCTURE AND ORGANISATIONThe Probation Service comes under the purview of the Rehabilitation and Protection Group, Ministryof Social and Family Development.

Deputy Director/Chief Probation Officer, Probation Services Branch, Rehabilitation and Protection Services, Ministry ofSocial and Family Development, Singapore.

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The Probation Service is responsible for: assessment of offenders’ suitability for placement on Probation
Orders and Community Service Orders; provision of community-based supervision for offenders serving
these orders, and the management of Volunteer Probation Officers involved in the supervision of offenders.
The Probation Service also administers the pre-Court diversionary programmes for youth offenders —Guidance Programme, Streetwise Programme; Youth Enhanced Supervision programme. Refer to Annex
A for the Probation Service organisational structure.
The Probation Committee headed by a representative of the Chief Justice oversees the work ofProbation Officers. This Committee is supported by 2 Case Committees namely the Juvenile and Adult
Probation Case Committees. Their primary tasks are to review the progress of persons on probation andset procedural guidelines to ensure due process in the treatment of offenders on probation. This is inaddition to the monitoring mechanisms at departmental level e.g. case conferencing, one-on-one supervision
which every Probation Officer and Community Service Officer is entitled to, and a computerized case management system which prompts action and flags irregularities in casework or court procedures in the management of each probationer.

IV. MISSION OF PROBATION SERVICE
The Probation Service aims to effectively rehabilitate offenders on community-based orders withmaximum participation of their families and the community. The following principles inform and influence
the programmes and services:a)		 Every offender has a capacity to change and grow if given the opportunity, support, and understanding;b)		 The offender has to take ownership of his/her rehabilitation and be accountable for his/heractions;c)		 The family needs to be preserved and strengthened to provide care and supervision to theoffender;d)		 Community involvement is vital in bringing about a continuum of care and control, and in supporting offenders in the community;e)		 Institutionalization as the last resort;f)		 Transparency of service and safeguarding due process in the management and rehabilitation of
offenders.

V. LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORKThe community-based management of offenders on probation is governed by at least two pieces of legislation ― The Children and Young Persons Act (CYPA) and the Probation of Offenders’ Act. Young
offenders are governed by the Children & Young Persons Act (CYPA) which provides that:
Every court in dealing with a child or young person who is brought before it, either as being in needof care or protection, or as an offender or otherwise, shall have regard to the welfare of the child or young
person and shall in a proper case take steps for removing him from undesirable surroundings’ and for
securing that proper provision is made for his education and training (section 28).
Probation is governed by the Probation of Offenders Act. Section 5 provides for the court to make aprobation order but not when the offender has committed an offence, where the sentence is fixed by law.
In making the order, the court takes into consideration the circumstances, including the nature of theoffence and the character of the offender.

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VI. CORPORATE OBJECTIVES
The following 3 corporate objectives drive the performance of the Probation Service:a)		 Provide quality and timely advice to the Courts, and effective case management to assist probationers to comply with Court orders and reduce re-offending;b)		 Encourage and facilitate maximum community involvement in delivering services and programmes to offenders and their families; andc)		 Plan and efficiently manage resources to produce positive results in the work environment which
are safe, equitable and focused on best practices.

VII. KEY CONSIDERATIONS IN ASSESSING SUITABILITY FOR PROBATION
In assessing an offender’s suitability for probation, the key considerations are public safety, risk of re-offending and potential for rehabilitation.
The investigation process entails detailed interviews with the offender, the family members or significant others, reports and consultations with other professionals (such as enforcement, mental health, social
service, education professionals or employers) who have dealt with the offender. This ensures that the assessment is thorough and the likelihood of success maximised. The following factors are considered inassessing an offender’s suitability for probation:a)		 Severity of offence;b)		 Severity of damage/harm done;c)		 Circumstances surrounding the offence(s);d)		 Offender’s criminal history and antecedents;e)		 Risk and protective factors;f)		 Offender’s motivation and capacity for rehabilitation;g)		 Availability of support from family and community resources to address offender’s risks andneeds issues.
If placed on probation, the Probation Order requires the offender to be under the supervision of aprobation officer for a period to be specified in the order and to adhere to other terms and conditions
specified in the order.
a)		 Duration of Probation ― minimum 6 months to maximum 36 months;b)		 Grade of Probation ― Based on the gravity of the offence and the offender’s risk issues, theoffender could be placed on different grades of probation: administrative, supervised, intensive or
split probation (combination of grades during the course of probation period);c)		 Conditions of Probation ― The offender is required to abide by several conditions. These could
include the offender observing a curfew, being electronically tagged, performing community
service, being constructively engaged in school or work, residing in a hostel, amongst others.

VIII. TRENDS AND CHALLENGES IN PROBATION
There has been an increase in the proportion of higher risk offenders placed on probation in the recent
years. This is evident from the increase in the proportion of offenders requiring i) intensive supervision; ii)
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restrictive conditions; and iii) longer period on probation.
A. Diverse Profile of Offenders
The profile of offenders and their offences were noted to be increasingly complex. Probation Officers
have to rehabilitate offenders with a combination of issues including:a)		 Special needs such as psychiatric illnesses, intellectual disabilities, addiction issues and immature
cognition due to young age (probationers below 14 years of age);b)		 Complex family circumstances such as child protection issues, weak/no parental support andoffences committed against family members;c)		 Strong anti-social attitudes and gang association; andd)		 Commission of serious offences such as causing grievous hurt, sexual offences, unlicensed moneylending.
Such offenders require intensive supervision, appropriate psychological/psychiatric intervention, behavioural support and educational/employment support to ensure that they do no continue with their offending
behaviour. As a result, this has placed great demands in the supervision of such offenders. A larger proportion of each officer’s caseload would require intensive work as compared to the past.
B. Culture of the Youth and Families Today
The youth today seek excitement and are more liberal in their views and actions. They are highly
connected via social media and are exposed to a vast amount of information at great speeds. Increasingly,
they are also turning to outdoor activities and the arts to meet their need for social interaction and relatedness. The challenge is for staff to be equally savvy in the use of sophisticated technology and beequipped with the knowledge of their interests.
The families in the system often struggle to balance work and family commitments, maintain thehousehold and provide care and supervision to their child, who is in conflict with the law. Due to multiple
stressors, parent-child relationships are impacted and parental supervision is weakened.
C. Fast Paced Work Environment
Working with offenders and their families is time sensitive as risk issues need to be addressed promptly
to safeguard public safety. In addition, reports to the Courts and collaborations with stakeholders need tobe timely to ensure quality service delivery. The increase in the proportion of higher risk offenders placedon probation in the recent years places further challenges on the demands of case supervision.

IX. OFFENDER MANAGEMENT STRATEGIESThe Probation Service adopts a responsive approach by being sensitive to the intrinsic nature of theoffenders and at the same time, holding them responsible for their offences. Probation as a multi-prong intervention programme has a balance of rehabilitation and deterrent aspects.
A. Strengthening the Probation Ordera)		 Different grades of probation ― The grades of probation would correspond with the intensity ofsupervision provided by the Probation Officer, such as frequency of contacts, time restriction
checks made, the number of hours of community service, etc.;b)		 Restrictive conditions ― Depending on the uniqueness of each case and in the spirit of Sec 5(2)of the Probation Offenders Act, the Court could also impose special restrictive conditions foroffenders to strengthen the Probation Order such as electronic monitoring, to refrain fromalcohol consumption; to not own a hand phone with a picture-taking or video capturing capability; and to refrain from visiting certain areas. The probation conditions imposed are meant to be
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tions enforced as a Court order also serve as a deterrent to the offender.
c)		 Time restriction ― compliance to time restriction is achieved through the Time Restriction
Automated Checks (TRAC) system, an automated curfew check system using voice biometrictechnology; and physical curfew checks by Volunteer Probation Officers.
d)		 Graduated sanctions ― Probationers who do not comply with probation conditions are liable tohave additional conditions imposed on them or have their Probation Orders revoked.
B. Rigorous Risk Assessment
There is rigour in risk assessment from the onset and throughout the course of probation. With theuse of established risk assessment tools, Probation Officers are able to state with greater confidence theoffender’s risk of re-offending, identify the factors that contribute to offending and target those areas accordingly.
Following the pilot of the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI), adopted
from Canada, in 2003, we have established local norms for the male and female probation population aged
below 19 years of age. Research studies have shown that this tool is robust in predictive validity in risk of
re-offending for our male probation population.
For offenders aged 19 years and above, we introduced the adult version of the YLS/CMI in 2012,
known as Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (LSI/CMI) in 2012.
Our Ministry has embarked on research studies to ensure the validity of the tools to better understandthe profiles of the probationers and to be informed on programming needs.
C. Evidence-Based Intervention Approaches
Probation is used as an instrument of change to re-shape attitudes, values and behaviours of theoffenders. Through individual and group-based work, intervention approaches aim to address the offender’soffending, to sustain the positive changes made and build up his/her resilience.
Risk management structures are necessary for public safety and serve as deterrence from further
offending. Yet, literature and our own experience have shown that complementing it with a strengthsbased approach reaps maximum benefits in rehabilitation. To this end, we embrace the Good Lives Modelwith the Risk-Need-Responsivity framework as the modality in our practice.
There is also greater emphasis in using Restorative Practice to work with offenders. Enabling them torecognize the impact of their actions on others encourages accountability and creates opportunity for themto make amends. Restorative Conferencing has been used to restore relationships among offenders inhostels and in behavior management.
Understanding that people have different needs and learn differently, we are conscious in delivering
cultural specific intervention. Rather than one-size fits all, for example, we have tweaked our programmes
to be age appropriate and matched officers with the aptitude in working with the very young offenders.
Seeing the lower probation outcomes for certain high risk probationers, we have started to understand thenuances of these groups and test-bed working models to better support these youth offenders and families.
As the most prevalent risks factors for offenders are the lack of pro-social peers/adults and unconstructive leisure activities, we sought to integrate Arts and Sports in the offenders’ rehabilitation journey. Fromsoccer to singing, there are opportunities for them to learn new skills, adopt a hobby and forge new friendships for a pro-social lifestyle.
D. Engaging the Family
Building fitter families is also core in our work. In working with offenders, we continue to hold on to
the belief that the family should remain an important resource for the individual. The strengthening
families framework used in community-based rehabilitation of offenders begins from the pre-sentence stage
right to the end of probation.
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Parenting programmes and interactive workshops equip parents with effective parenting and communication skills in order for them to strengthen the family bonds and better manage their children, including
siblings of probationers. Beyond individual family work, our programmes for probationers also include
parental components.
E. Enhancing Rehabilitative Value of Community Service Orders
Approximately 85% of offenders on probation are required to fulfill community service as a condition ofprobation. To maximise the impact of the community service experience, the community service activities
have been re-designed to be more meaningful to the needs of probationers and beneficiaries at theagencies. Moving away from primarily menial tasks, probationers are given the opportunity to be involvedin many areas such as interaction with vulnerable persons, project planning and implementation, etc. In sodoing, it is intended that they take ownership of their community service and feel a sense of purpose incontributing to the community.
F. Residential Programmes
About 20% percent of offenders assessed with a higher risk of re-offending are required to reside in ahostel as part of their probation order. Hostel residency aims to provide a semi-structured environment tohelp these offenders to cultivate discipline and responsibility. In the recent years, there had been a greaternumber of approved institutions and voluntary welfare organisations providing residential and othersupport services to probation cases.
G. Creative Partnerships
Probation Service has continually sought to involve our community in the provision of support andservices, and integration of offenders into mainstream society.
Through School-based Probation, we have created a network with schools to support schooling probationers. Some of our programmes leverage on the expertise in the community to better target risk andneeds of the probationers and their families. We have mobilized the strengths of 223 Volunteer Probation
Officers to complement the work of the Probation Officers in the management of offenders.
We have strengthened collaborations with social service agencies, organizations and the private sector
to create growth opportunities for community service placements and in areas such as the arts and sports.
It is important to educate key community partners on the value of rehabilitation work and theimportant role the community can play in the rehabilitation process through avenues such as networking
sessions.
H. Research and Evaluation of Programmes
To deliver a robust probation system, research and evaluation of our programmes is vital. Understanding what works and measuring its effectiveness ensures accountability in our service delivery. Ongoingevaluation is being done for some of our programmes.
I. Harnessing Technology
To achieve good rehabilitation outcomes for offenders on probation with the limited resources(manpower, time, costs and competing demands), innovative solutions are continually sought for efficiency
and effective service delivery. Technology was harnessed as a tool to strengthen the Probation Order,
work processes, productivity and professional development of staff. Some examples include:
1. Integrated Case Management System
Leveraging on technology, the Ministry developed the Integrated Case Management System (ICMS) in
2005 to enhance operational support to officers in terms of easy access to client information, effective casemanagement and a strengthened policy response to emerging issues and challenges. It is designed to facilitate information sharing within the Division, ensure seamless and effective client management, as well as
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2. Electronic Monitoring
Electronic monitoring of selected offenders needing intensive supervision was introduced in 2003 totarget those whose offences and/or repeated curfew violations would cause them to be sent to a juvenile
rehabilitation centre or prison. Electronic monitoring as a condition of probation is usually imposed for aperiod of 4 to 6 months.
3.

Time Restriction Automated Check (TRAC) System
The TRAC system was developed using voice biometric technology to enforce the Court-ordered timerestriction checks on offenders on probation. Instead of Probation Officers making the telephone calls tothese offenders late at night (9 pm to midnight), TRAC now makes more than 500 calls each night to theoffenders. Probationers and families are responsible for responding to the calls and ensuring compliance tothe Probation Order.
J. Capacity Building of Staff and Key Partners
It is important to have a highly competent and versatile team of officers. Our staff has to find creative
solutions and be targeted in their intervention when addressing probationers’ risk issues.
To ensure they are current in “what works” with such offenders, we have brought in experts to build
their capacity in risk assessment and intervention work. Given the fast paced and intense nature of thework, support for these officers through clinical supervision becomes important.
Our officers are also exposed to other facets of probation work such as programme development andevaluation, research, project management etc., in addition to holding a caseload of investigation and supervision cases. This provides them with opportunities for professional growth, expansion of perspectives anda sense of ownership in developing the probation system.
Similarly, we have invested time in building community capability to better manage offenders. For
example, we have trained our hostel providers and social service agencies involved in youth offender work
to use the risk assessment tools. This is to ensure we speak the same language in assessing andmanaging risk, and intervention efforts.

X. OTHER INITIATIVES IN ENHANCING PROBATION
A. National Standards for the Probation of Offenders and their Rehabilitation in the Community
Jointly launched by the Subordinate Courts and the Ministry in August 2001, the Probation Service
committed itself to a set of service standards aimed at securing transparency and public accountability inthe execution of probation investigation and supervision. The document provides a framework withconcrete guidelines for various aspects of probation work, including time frames for work to be done, procedures, and the proper notification of parties involved at different stages of the youth/criminal justiceprocess. It is available to the public and given out to every new person who enters the probation system.
In 2006, the National Standards were reviewed to ensure continued relevance and to serve as abenchmark for best practices in the rehabilitation of offenders. As various changes have occurred in thecriminal justice system and in the probation system in Singapore since the last review, we have embarked
on another review which is due to be completed in 2015.
B. ISO Certification
In 2003, Probation Services embarked on ISO certification as a way to demonstrate to partners, andthe offenders and families our commitment to quality in service delivery and continual improvement. The
process of certification in six core areas of probation work has allowed probation and community service
officers to clearly understand the work processes and efficiently carry out their responsibilities.
The 6 core areas of work are: (i) Investigation, (ii) Supervision, (iii) Volunteer Management, (iv)
Community Service, (v) Programmes, and (vi) Probation Intake Service/Court Referral, Reception andService Feedback Registry.

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The Probation Service obtained the ISO 9001:2008 on 23 July 2003 and has continually attained its recertification. Rigorous internal and external audits are done regularly to ensure that the systems andprocesses are carried out.

XI. EFFECTIVENESS OF PROBATIONThe success of probation is measured by the rates of successful completion of court orders by probationers and re-offending after probation. The monitoring of whether an offender remains crime free after
probation spans up to 3 years after the expiry of each court order.
Probation has been largely successfully in rehabilitating offenders and instilling them with thenecessary skills to lead a crime-free life.
a)		 Average Probation completion rate (2010 - 2013): 83%b)		 Average 3-year recidivism rate for the cohort of probationers who completed probation successfully in 2010: 11.9%

XII. MOVING FORWARD
To stay ahead of future changes, the Probation Service adopts the R 3 Approach of being Relevant, Responsive and Resourceful in the rehabilitation of offenders. This would ensure a commitment towards evidence-based and quality intervention efforts for probationers amidst a changing probation landscape.

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Operations(Youth)Operations(Adult)Operations
Planning

Community
Partnerships

Professional
Development andResource
Management

Deputy Director / Chief Probation Officer

PROBATION SERVICES BRANCH ORGANISATION CHART

Diversionary
Programmes

Annex A

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