108TH INTERNATIONAL SEMINARPARTICIPANTS’ PAPERSEFFECTIVE TREATMENT MEASURES FOR PRISONERS AND
DRUG ADDICTS TO FACILITATE THEIR REINTEGRATION
INTO SOCIETY
Lohman Yew*
It is a fact that the majority of prisoners
will return to society at some point in time.
The only difference being whether it is at
an earlier or later date. Thus, it is very
important or at least hoped for, that thetime a prisoner spends in an institution
would contribute positively to his or her
rehabilitation. However in reality, forpractitioners, ideology does not oftentranspose to social phenomenology. There
are numerous factors that have to be taken
into account in attempting to reduce
criminal behaviour through treatment.
These range from external social factors,
to internal psychological factors. In most
instances, modifying a person’s overt
behaviour alone is considered a notable andsuccessful goal, if actually achieved. The
psyche of a person, in terms of covert‘behaviours’ like thoughts, attitudes andexpectations, is however much more
profound and difficult to change. In theattempt to modify behaviour, at least overt
behaviour, we see the proliferation of expert
opinions and treatment strategies in themodern penal setting and aftercare.
But now a quite different question oftruth is inscribed in the course of the penal
judgement. The question is no longer
simply: ‘Has the act been established andis it punishable?’ But also: ‘What is this act?
What is this act of violence or this murder?’To what level or to what field of reality doesit belong? Is it a phantasy, a psychotic
reaction, a delusional episode, a perverse
action?’ It is no longer simply: ‘Who

committed it?’ ... It is no longer simply: Whatlaw punishes this offence?’ But: ‘What
would be the most appropriate measures totake? How do we see the future developmentof the offender? What would be the best wayof rehabilitating him [or her]?’ A whole setof assessing, diagnostic, prognostic,
normative judgements concerning thecriminal have become lodged in theframework of penal judgement.
Foucault (1977, parenthesis added)
I n a c t u a l i t y, r e d u c i n g o f f e n d i n gbehaviour is a time-consuming and difficult
enterprise, with sometimes few rewards or
success stories despite the rise of treatment
programmes. Singapore does not purport
to have the ‘magic pill’ nor does it intend
to. However, through the sharing of penaland drug treatment practices, it is hopedthat the Singapore Prison Service would
be able to contribute to the knowledge ofthis greater community concerning
corrections. Hopefully, we may all learn
from both the strengths and weaknessesof each penal system to improve ourindividual programmes. It is within thisframework that the issue of “effective
treatment measures for prisoners and drug
abusers to facilitate their reintegration into
society” will be discussed. The paper will
begin with a brief introduction to
Singapore, and short historical accounts ofour penal and drug systems, to set thecontext for the discussion of our current
treatment programmes.

* Deputy Director, Prison Department, Ministry ofHome Affairs, Singapore.

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RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 54
I. INTRODUCTION
A. Singapore-Island State
Singapore has total land area ofapproximately 647. 5 sq km and is situatedin Southeast Asia, approximately 137 km
north of the Equator. Singapore wasfounded in 1819 by Sir Stamford Raffles,
Lieutenant-Governor of Bencoolen. Selfgovernment was attained in 1959 whereby
Singapore’s first general election was heldwith The People’s Action Party (PAP)
winning 53. 4% of votes. On 16 September
1963, Singapore joined the Federation of
Malaysia. However on 9 August 1965,
Singapore was separated from the rest of
Malaysia to become a sovereign, democratic
and independent nation. Singapore is arepublic with a parliamentary system ofgovernment based on the Westminster
model. Organs of State include: The
Executive-Head of Government andCabinet, The Legislature-President andParliament, and The Judiciary-Chief
Justice, The Supreme Court andSubordinate Courts. The Judiciaryadministers the law independently of the
Executive and this independence issafeguarded by the Constitution.
Singapore’s official languages are English(language of administration) , Mandarin,
Malay and Tamil.
B. Penal and Drug History
During the early 19th Century, prisoners
were housed in semi-permanent attap andwooden dormitory-type buildings. These
convicts of the past were active in public
contributions like the building of roads andbuildings - some of which have now become
historical landmarks like, for instance, thepresent St Andrew’s Cathedral that wascompleted in 1862. Colonel Butterworththen the Governor of the Straits
Settlement-in 1845 created a set of rules
and regulations that emphasised
redormative training and usefulemployment rather than punishment. As

302

a result, Singapore’s system at that time
became a hallmark, which attracted
visitors from the Dutch East India
Company, Siam and Japan.
In 1872, a Commission of Inquiry into
the Prisons concluded that the system had
lost sight of the punitive aspect of prison
life. As a result, the old system wasabandoned and convicts were no longer
employed on public projects. More severe‘punishments’ were imposed.
However, in 1948, the Singapore Prison
Enquiry Commissions recommended theremoval of the punitive approach and inits place; safe confinement, creative
activities, education, religion andrecreation. This became the forerunner ofthe current prison system.
Opium smoking was prohibited in
Singapore in 1946. The first opium
treatment centre was set up on St John’sIsland (one of the some 60 small islets ofSingapore) in 1955. The centre wasgazetted as a prison for the custody andtreatment of opium addicts. However, in
1960, the Prisons Inquiry Commission
pointed out that drug addiction should beseen as essentially a social problem in a
medical context, not as criminal. Thus in
1963, the Opium Treatment Centre was degazetted as a prison and its administration
was handed over to the Ministry of Health.
In 1973, the government passed theMisuse of Drugs Act in July, providing forthe compulsory treatment andrehabilitation of addicts with the emphasis
now being on drug addiction as a social andbehavioural problem. The Opium
Treatment Centre was renamed as a Drug
Rehabilitation Centre (DRC). More DRCs
were later introduced.
However, incidents of drug abuse grewat an alarming rate. On 1st April 1977, a

108TH INTERNATIONAL SEMINARPARTICIPANTS’ PAPERS
nation-wide crackdown on abusers codenamed ‘Operation Ferret’ was launched.
Thirteen thousand (13,000) people werearrested and around 6,700 were detainedin DRCs from April to December that year.
It is from this historic incident that the
drug scene evolved into today’s current
system.
II. THE SINGAPORE PRISONSERVICEThe Singapore Prison Service is part of
the Home Team of agencies related to crime
control, security and civil defence. These
agencies fall under the purview of the
Ministry of Home Affairs. Both penal anddrug inmates fall under the jurisdiction of
the Prisons Department. The mission
statement of the Prisons Department is:
To protect society by ensuring the secure
custody of offenders in a humane
environment, and to facilitate their return
to society as law abiding citizens byproviding rehabilitative opportunities.
Our mission statement is
operationalised by four (4) guiding
principles that form the components of our
Operations Philosophy. These are:i) Prisons and Drug Rehabilitation
Centres are not holiday resorts...
conditions shall be spartan but not
an affront to human dignity.
ii) Prisoners are here with us aspunishment but not for punishment.
iii) Drug inmates are here with us, notas punishment, but for treatment andrehabilitation.
iv) E v e r y i n m a t e w i l l b e g i v e nopportunities to change, but more
effort will be accorded to thosegenuinely desirous of changing.
The Director of Prisons is appointed by
the Minister of Home Affairs. He is assisted

by a Deputy Director and three (3)Assistant Directors. The Department
operates on the staffline function systemwith the Superintendents of Penal
Institutions and Drug Rehabilitaion
Centres (DRCs) reporting directly to the
Director. The Assistant Directors and theirvarious Branches under their charge
provide Staff Support functions (please see
Organisation Chart Appendix A) .
There is a total of 2214 Staff comprisingof:i) 1612 staff in the Uniformed Prisons
Service•401 in the Senior Officer grades.
•1211 in the Junior Officer grades.
ii) 215 Civilian Staff.
iii) 387 staff in the Police Gurkha
Contingent (who provide manpower
to guard towers in the maximum andmedium security Prisons/DRCs).
III. CURRENT PENAL SCENE
A. Description of Penal Institutions
The penal institutions are classified into
maximum, medium and minimum security
prisons depending on the physicalstructure of the institutions and thecategories of prisoners that areaccommodated therein. There are four (4)maximum-security prisons, four (4)medium-security prisons and one (1) minimum security prison.
B. Approach to Rehabilitation of
Prisoners
Criminal behaviour is regarded as abehavioural problem. The criminal isneither a victim of society nor
circumstances, and is responsible for theconsequences of his or her actions. Whether
a criminal can be successfully rehabilitateddepends solely on himself or herself. Those
who are positive and show genuine desire
to change for the better will be given all
the help and opportunities to do so.

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Having stated the above this is not to
imply that sociological or circumstantial
factors do not influence a person’s actions.
Indeed, social demographics, like low socioeconomic status (SES), are often strong
predictors of criminal offending. However,
the emphasis is rather on a neo-classicalnotion of the volitional agent. Despite thecircumstances and situational variables,
the choice to offend still rests on theindividual. It is precisely in recognising theexistence of such sociological andcircumstantial variables that help will begiven to those who actually want to change.
C. Description of Reception,
Processing and Allocation
The reception centre for all maleconvicted inmates is the Queenstown
Remand Prison (QRP). As its namesuggests, QRP also houses people on
remand, i. e. , awaiting trial. Once admitted
into QRP, a nominal roll will be opened forthe new prisoner. All personal property andcash will be accounted for, verified and kept
by the Officer-in-charge of Records andReception. Each inmate will undergo a
medical check-up. The Superintendent of
the Prison will also interview each inmate.
informing him of issues related to lengthof sentence, filing of appeals and property
and cash. With the necessary
documentation in order, convicted inmates
are allocated to the appropriate
institutions. This allocation is based on
selection criteria that takes into accountfactors such as sentence length,
seriousness of convicted offence andcriminal antecedents.
Women offenders, both convicted andremandees, are received at the Changi
Women’s Prison cum Drug Release Centre(CWP/D). Because of the low population
size of convicted female offenders, there isat present only one institution thatencompasses both female prisoners anddrug inmates.

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D. Incare of Penal Inmates
The penal institution plays a two-foldfunction, namely, social control andrehabilitation. It must be recognised that
other than a rehabilitative role ofattempting to reintegrate a person back tosociety, the function of the penal institution
is to perform the socially and legally
sanctioned control functions of punishment(retribution) and deterrence (individualand general). As mentioned earlier, theprisoner is in the prison as punishment andnot for punishment. The detention is thepunishment he or she receives for the crimecommitted. The individual deterrence
aspect comes from the regime that he or
she has to undergo while under detention.
Prisoners spend the initial stage of theirincarceration under lock-up. This isconsidered as a highly deterrent aspect ofimprisonment. The duration of this lockup depends on the prisoner’s conduct andlength of imprisonment.
A convicted prisoner qualifies for a onethird-remission of sentence. However, theremission period is deducted up to a
maximum of seven (7) days whenever theprisoner is adjudicated for breaches of
institutional rules. The maximum periodof punishment imposed is seven (7) days if
given solitary confinement. In addition, theSuperintendent can impose a maximum of
twelve (12) strokes of the cane. All
adjudicated cases are submitted to the
Director of Prisons for confirmation ofsentence. If the case is deemed very serious,
the case can be referred to the Visiting
Justice who can impose a sentence of
canning up to twenty-four (24) strokes.
E. Rehabilitation Programmes in
the Penal Setting
The purpose of rehabilitation
programmes in the prison regime is threefold:i) Manage inmates effectively.

108TH INTERNATIONAL SEMINARPARTICIPANTS’ PAPERSii) Reduce reoffending behaviour.
iii) Facilitate reintegration to society.
While the onus of criminal offending isultimately placed on the individual, there
must be a balancing between justice andmercy. It is to this end that the Singapore
Prison Service administers justicetempered with mercy, i. e. , assistance inthe rehabilitation process not only for the
purpose of reducing or modifying offending
behaviour, but also for helping the inmate
to effectively reintegrate into sociery.
Before discussing treatment strategies,
it is to be noted that in assisting inmates
to reduce offending behaviour, as well as
to facilitate their reintegration into society,physical organisation plays an importantrole, albeit more indirectly, in the
rehabilitation of the inmate. What is meantby physical organisation is that inmates
are allocated not only to different
institutions-as discussed earlier inreception, processing and allocation-but
within institutions they are also segregatedfrom each other; hard-core offenders are
physically separated by walls, gates anddoors from first-timers. Older inmates arealso segregated from younger ones. This is
to reduce ‘contamination’, i. e. , negativesocial modelling and sub-culture, from themore ‘experienced’ convicts.
Recent trends in rehabilitation
programmes in western countries haveshown a move towards community-based
rehabilitation programmes. The reason forthis shift being that institutionalisation
tends to ‘nullify’ the effects of proactive
efforts (Andrews & colleagues, 1990;
McGuire & Priestley, 1995) . However, it is
to be noted that this ‘principle of using
custody as the last resort’ is still weakly
established. For instance, Losel (1994) in
his study of institutionalised juveniles
found that an institutional climate that ischaracterised by openness, autonomy,cohesion, organisation and a low level ofconflict, has also obtained success in
reducing reoffending. The debate ofwhether the prison institution is effective
in rehabilitation and deterring offenders
from recidivating, while important, isnevertheless out of the scope of the current
paper. The point for practitioners incorrectional settings is that we have a poolof convicted offenders under our custody.
It is thus our responsibility to at least
attempt to provide effective treatment
measures for prisoners to facilitate theireventual reintegration into society.
Wi t h t h i s i n m i n d , t h e g e n e r a lrehabilitation programme available for
prisoners comprise of the following key
elements in a five-fold package describedhereafter.
1. Work
The inculcation of discipline (e. g. , theroutine of working fixed hours in a day) andstrong work ethic presented to the offender
are major priorities in the rehabilitation
programme. The ability to hold on to a job
should serve as a stable foundation for
reintegration in to society, as many inmatesare either jobless or practice ‘job-hopping’prior to conviction. In this area, theSingapore Corporation of Rehabilitative
Enterprises (SCORE), a statutory Board
which manages the prison industries andprovides rehabilitative opportunities, sets
up or invites companies to establish
workshops in the prisons and DRCs, where
the inmate may work and learn on-the-job
skills. SCORE’s bakery and laundry
services are examples of enterprisingindustrial pursuits that have taken root in
the prison setting successfully.
2. Education
As mentioned earlier, demographics likelow education are often predictors ofoffending. Thus, an important priority is
to reduce the statistical chance or

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RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 54
probability of reoffending. The provision of
education, either academic or vocational,
for the purposes of upgrading prisoners’
educational status and skills is thus
essential. In a competitive society like
Singapore, education is highly valued.
Helping to increase the education level ofinmates would also increase their chancesof finding a job and reitegrating back tosociety. Academic classes, conducted byqualified teachers seconded from the
Ministry of Education, range fromcertification courses to GCE ‘O’ levels, andup to GCE ‘A’ levels. In 1997, inmates under
the assistance of our teachers achieved anaverage of 86% pass rate for GCE ‘O’ Level
examination, which is above the national
figure of 76. 9% pass for private candidates.
Vocational classes are conducted byqualified vocational trainers from SCORE
who teach preparatory English courses,
work induction, problem solving, foodpreparation, book binding cleaning skills,
etc. In 1997, SCORE conducted vocationalcourses for 1,424 inmates from the prisonsand DRCs.

has two Muslim religious teachers toprovide religious activities to Muslim
prisoners. Religious counselling is provided
by counsellors from various religiousorganisations to look after prisoners’
spiritual needs.

3. Physical Training
Inmates are required to undergo
physical training that includes drill,
exercise and games. Physical activities help
to keep the inmates healthy and fit, while
recreational games help them to relieve thepressures of incarceration. This at the sametime promotes healthy interaction between
the inmates.

Notwithstanding the importance of
coping skills, certain problems and issues
cannot be resolved to an acceptable level
whereby inmates and their families aresocially functional by counselling alone.
Therefore, RCB handles referrals forinvestigation and assistance. These
referrals can come from inmates andappeals submitted to Prisons
Headquarters, from family members
through the Members of Parliament (MPs).
Upon receiving a referral, investigations
will be carried out by the counsellors todetermine the extent of the problem andhelp that can be rendered. Home visits will
be conducted, if necessary. Cases will bereferred to other social agencies forassistance if necessary. The more common
problems referred are:i) Financial problems.
ii) Housing problems.

4. Religion
It is a well-known fact that religion has
and continues to perform a major role inchanging a person’s life. It is thus a
powerful force in the rehabilitation process,as it gives the individual a sense of
direction and meaning to life.
Inmates are therefore encouraged todevelop their spiritual side by turning totheir respective religions. The Department306

5. Counselling
Existing personal, social or family
problems, as well as new ones that arisefor some inmates as a result of
incarceration, if not resolved, would
distract them from the rehabilitation
efforts.
Trained officers from the Prisons’
Rehabilitation and Counselling Branch(RCB) handle referrals, requests andspecial cases. RCB is considered a
specialised unit. RCB provides various
forms of social services and intensive
counselling to inmates and visits to theirfamilies. Its operational philosophy is toassist inmates and their families to learn
to be independent through imparting
coping skills.

108TH INTERNATIONAL SEMINARPARTICIPANTS’ PAPERSiii) No visits from family.
iv) Marital problems.
v) Welfare of children.
Thus, in essence, RCB provides
counselling for inmates to reduce offending
behaviour as well as to prepare him or her
for eventual reintegration into society.
Service delivery is also rendered to theinmates’ families when necessary.
The bulk of counselling and inmate
interviews are however conducted by therespective Hall Officers who are Senior
Prisons Officers in the grade of
Rehabilitation Officer within theinstitutions.
The Prisons Department has a
Psychological Unit to assist inmates thathave depression and more serious forms of
psychological maladjustment. Volunteer
counsellors from external organisations
also assist us in social counselling in
preparing the offenders for reintegration
to society.
F. Preparation for Release
The Prisons Department notes thatincarceration, especially long-term
imprisonment, can affect the chances of aperson reintegrating into society. After
spending a long time in prison, a person
may be institutionalised whereby
ironically, life on the ‘inside’ is somewhat
preferred to the ‘outside’. To some extent,
this is not too surprising. Life inside theprison setting, although highly disciplined
and regulated, is rather predictable with
its fixed routines and expectations. One
could get used to the life there. Thus,
without preparation for the return tosociety, an inmate who has undergone longterm detention would be faced with thecultural-shock of the fast-paced anddemanding society that Singapore is.
Thus, during the last stages ofimprisonment, inmates all have to go

through a pre-release counselling
programme that lasts for around two (2)weeks. Pre-release programmes provide anavenue for imprisoned offenders toreintegrate into society, hopefully withminimal disorientation. If prepared andconducted effectively, they can impact upon
relapse rates and enhance the effectivenessof the overall rehabilitation strategy. It may
at the same time generate goodwill
between the prison authorities and thedeparting offender, thereby reducing any
lingering bitterness about the offender’sprison experience and serve as a source of
encouragement.
Contents of the package include not justcoping strategies but practical help as well.
In short the general structure of the
package includes topics like prisonsdebrief, post-release plans, stressmanagement, sources of support, work
attitudes and job performance andrejoining the community. Inmates are also
notified of sources of help available to themwhen they rejoin the community
concerning life issues like housing,
employment, social support and vocational
training.
G. Early Release
As for early release, Singapore at present
has not legally adopted any probation
system for adult offenders. Currently, theonly early release system that Singapore
is using is the one-third remission ofsentence. Inmates would normally have toserve only two-thirds of their original
sentence. However, early release on license
is one of the options being considered toease overcrowding.
H. General Crime Statistics
Singapore’s crime rate fell again in 1977,
for the 9th consecutive year. The numberof seizable offences reported fell by 5%,
from about 47,100 cases reported in 1996
to about 44,800 in 1997. This is very307

RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 54
encouraging, as such trends are very rarein other countries.
IV. CURRENT DRUG SCENE
A. Description of Drug Institutions
In addition to penal institutions, thePrisons Department also takes charge of
the Drug Rehabilitation Centres (DRCs)
which house the different categories of drug
addicts. There are altogether four (4) male
DRCs and one (1) female DRC. First andsecond time offenders are housed in one
institution. Third and fourth time offenders
are housed in their respective institutions.
Fifth time offenders and above arecontained in another institution. As
mentioned, Changi Women’s Prison is alsoa DRC where all female addicts are housed.
Lastly, there is also a work release campLloyd Leas Work Release Camp-for drug
addicts selected on the work release
scheme.
B. Approach to Rehabilitation andTreatment of Drug Addicts
Singapore does not subscribe to the belief
that drug addiction is a medical problem.
As in the case of the criminal, drug
addiction is viewed as a social andbehavioural problem. An addict is
responsible for the consequences of his or
her own actions, and it is up to the addict
to make a determined effort to kick the
habit. If the addict does not want to change
his or her ways, no amount of treatment
and rehabilitation can make that person
do so.
The present drug regime differentiates
between non-hardcore and hardcore
addicts. Non-hardcore addicts are addicts
who have been admitted into the DRC for
the first and second time, i. e. , first or
second timers. Hardcore addicts are thosethat have been admitted into the DRC forthree or more times, i. e. , third timers andabove. This differentiation is essential for308

the determination of not only the period ofdetention but also the type of treatment
and rehabilitation regime, which the addict
will undergo. In general, a hardcore addict
is not only detained in the DRC for a much
longer period as compared to a nonhardcore addict, but that person undergoes
a tough, penal-like regime with minimal
privileges and greater measures ofdeterrence.
On the other hand, a non-hardcore
addict is accorded more rehabilitative
opportunities, is given more intensive
counselling by trained counsellors in the
DRCs (both individual and group
counselling) and is given greater
opportunities to enrol in educational or
vocational courses for personal
development through academic pursuits or
the acquiring of new vocational skills.
C. Length of Detention
Drug addicts are detained under the
executive order of the Director of Central
Narcotics Bureau, under section 37 of theMisuse of Drugs Act (MDA). The addicts
are detained in the DRCs for a minimum
period of six (6) and up to a maximum
period of thirty-six (36) months, dependingon the number of previous admissions.
Generally, inmates with greater number ofprevious DRC admissions will be kept
longer in the DRCs. Each inmate’s care isreviewed every six (6) months by a DRC
Review Committee chaired by a medical
practitioner with members comprising
reputable persons from the public andprivate sectors. These appointments are
made by the Minister. At present there are
four (4) DRC Review Committees.
D. Description of Reception,
Processing and Allocation
Sembawang DRC-the centre that houses
4th timer addicts-is also the reception
centre for all male drug addicts. Female
addicts are referred to the Changi Women

108TH INTERNATIONAL SEMINARPARTICIPANTS’ PAPERS
Prison/DRC. These drug addicts arebrought in by law enforcement agencies,
viz the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB)
and the Police. As with the reception ofp r i s o n e r s a t Q R P, t h e r e i s t h edocumentation stage of recording theindividual’s particulars and possessions.
After which, they undergo a medical checkup. They are also medically examined overa period of three (3) days to ascertain theirdegree of opiate or heroin addiction.
E. Incare of Drug Addicts
The purpose of the stay in the DRCs is
two-fold: addicts are detained in the DRCs
not only for treatment and rehabilitation,
but also to prevent the spread of the
problem of drug abuse. By taking these
addicts out of circulation from the generalpublic, it reduces the chances of them‘contaminating’ others.
F. Rehabilitation and Treatment
Programmes in the Drug Setting
The purpose of institutional
rehabilitation programmes in the DRCs isto reduce drug abuse and to facilitate
reintegration into society. As mentioned,
upon arrest, all drug addicts are sent to
the reception centre. This is where they
undergo a compulsory detoxification periodof one (1) week. During this period, thedrug addicts are under close medical
supervision as they experience pangs ofwithdrawal symptoms whilst their bodies
rid themselves of drugs. Afterdetoxification, the inmates go through arecuperation period of rest for one (1) week.
Inmates are then transferred to otherinstitutions depending on their number ofprevious admissions. Fourth timers remain
in Sembawang DRC. Orientation in therespective institutions late one (1) week,whereby inmates are told about houserules, as well as other relevant information
concerning drug abuse and its effects.
Following which, inmates undergo a toughregime of drill and physical exercises tobuild up fitness levels, as well as discipline,
before being introduced to other aspects ofrehabilitation programmes which include
work, education and counselling. These
institutional programmes in the DRCs arevery similar to the general rehabilitation
programmes for prisoners.
It was mentioned earlier that physicalorganisation plays an important support
function to the rehabilitation programmes.
Negative peer group influence is an
important determiner of drug-taking
behaviour and this is the reason why nonhardcore addicts are placed in separate
institutions from hardcore addicts. Even
within the pool of hardcore addicts, there
is delineation between the number oftimers.
G. Specific Drug Treatment
Programmes
Following a review of the drug
programme, Community-Based
Rehabilitation (CBR) was given greater
emphasis in 1995 to assist the treatedaddicts to reintegrate into society. Uponcompletion of their minimum period of
DRC detention, inmates will be placed in
one of the following programmes:i) Community-Based Rehabilitation(CBR).
ii) E x t e n d e d I n s t i t u t i o n a l
Rehabilitation (EIR).
Under Community-Based
Rehabilitation, inmates may be selected forany of the three schemes:(1) The Halfway House Scheme (HWH)(2) Residential Scheme, or(3) H a l f w a y H o u s e S c h e m e w i t hNaltrexone/Residential Scheme with
Naltrexone.
CBR was introduced with the intentionof helping the drug addict ‘kick’ the habit
through social support within thecommunity. To some extent, the CBR
programme is a form of ‘early release’ for309

RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 54
drug addicts from DRCs. However, these
inmates are still under the jurisdiction of
the Prisons Department. It is important tonote that for the CBR scheme, once theinmate is selected, he or she may
voluntarily opt out of the programme only
before it starts.
Inmates who are selected for CBR aretransferred to the Lloyd Leas Work-Release
Camp in the last month of their DRC stay
to undergo the Pre-Release Programme.
The features of the one (1) monthprogramme are:i) Counselling involving coping skills
and group dynamics to prepare themfor work-release and reintegration
into society.
ii) Physical training.
iii) Drills.
The Halfway House Scheme (HWH)
involves the inmate staying in a halfway
house for a period of six (6) months whilst
undergoing the rehabilitation programmeof the halfway house. Inmates placed on
the HWH Scheme are required to work
during the day and return to the HWHs inthe evenings to observe curfew hours.
Being able to keep a job would ideally
increase the ‘stakes’ in conforming tosociety. Inmates in HWHs are given regularurine testing for drug consumption. This
scheme particularly benefits those inmates
who are genuinely desirous of changing but
who have no family support, no home toreturn to, or whose family environments
are not conducive for their recovery fromdrug addiction. It is intended that throughpositive interactions with other treatedaddicts, as well as HWH staff, in both socialand counselling sessions, pro-social
behaviour will develop to enable the inmate
to forgo drug abuse.
The Residential Scheme also lasts for aperiod of six (6) months. It, however,involves the inmate being tagged with an

310

electronic monitoring device and returning
to his or her place of residence to stay. Like
the HWH Scheme, the inmate is also
required to work during the day but has toreturn home in the evenings to observe
curfew hours. Inmates also have to report
regularly back to Lloyd Leas Work Release
Camp for counselling and urine testing.
This scheme would only be offered toinmates whose families are supportive.
Family support is an important aspect offacilitating two reintegration of the inmate
into society.
As can be seen from the above
programmes, the Prisons Department
recognises the importance of psychosocial
support in the efforts to help the addict‘kick’ the habit. Unique to drug addicts
though, is the fact that drug consumption
affects not only the psychology but thephysiology of the individual. Theories that
explain drug-taking behaviour are various.
They range from pleasure-seeking
behaviour to reducing the pangs ofwithdrawal.
It is to these reasons that in August
1993, the Department launched a pilot
programme involving the use of the drug
Naltrexone on some inmates. This drug,
which is an opiate antagonist, is consumed
orally in pill-form. It blocks the gates of therelevant receptors of the brain that are
responsible for the euphoric effects brought
about by consuming opiates. In otherwords, a person who is on Naltrexone will
not be able to ‘get high’ if he or she were to
consume a narcotic drug. Importantly,
Naltrexone is not addictive. Hence, it is nota substitute drug for the addict. Results ofour pilot study project have been very
encouraging and the Prisons Department
has incorporated the use of Naltrexone fora selection of inmates in the Residentialand Halfway House Schemes underCommunity Based Rehabilitation, witheffect from June 95.

108TH INTERNATIONAL SEMINARPARTICIPANTS’ PAPERS
Selection of inmates for the threeschemes is based on a set of stringent
criteria. Only those inmates who areassessed as being responsive to their
institutional rehabilitation, and haveshown a desire to change, will be selected
for the CBR programmes. In other words,
only the most amenable inmates are chosen
for these 3 Schemes. As mentioned earlier,the individual is ultimately responsible forhis or her actions. More help will be given
to those that are desirous of change.
Notwithstanding this, it is important toemphasise that hardcore addicts are also
allowed to participate in the CBR
programmes.
Those inmates who do not qualify for
Community Based Rehabilitation or who
voluntarily opt out of CBR programmes areplaced under Extended Institutional
Rehabilitation (EIR). In effect, this meansthat detention period in the DRCs would
be extended up to between 12 to 24 months,
depending on their categories. During theextended period, they will continue theirrehabilitation programme of work,
vocational training and counselling. They
will also undergo the 1-month Pre-Release
Programme in the DRC, The activities in
the Pre-Release Programme are similar tothat carried out in the Lloyd Leas WorkRelease Camp.
H. Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB)
Supervision
Upon completing their CBR programmesor Extended Institutional Rehabilitation,
as the case may be, the inmates are thenpleced under compulsory Central Narcotics
Bureau (CNB) supervision for period of two
years. During this period, the inmates are
required to report for regular urine tests
at designated reporting centres an police
stations, to ensure that they remain drugfree.

I. General Crime Statistics
Prison’s treatment and rehabilitation of
drug addicts encompasses part of the multipronged enforcement, rehabilitation,
aftercare and prevention education
strategy to proactively arrest the drug
situation in Singapore. In 1994, our
Minister for Home Affairs, Mr Wong Kan
Seng, also mentioned that it was critical
for the family and the community to get
involved in preventive education andrehabilitation.
Since then, drug agencies andcommunity organisations havecollaborated in a holistic effort to make themulti-pronged strategy work. We arepleased to announce that the upward trend
in drug statistics has been reversed. A
striking point to be highlighted is that
despite Central Narcotics Bureau’s (CNB)
intensified raids, i. e. increased
surveillance and enforcement, the numberof drug abusers arrested fell almost aquarter, from 6160 in 1994 to 4750 lastyear. The number of new drug addicts
arrested also fell from 1340 to 1130 overthe same period. The average daily
population in our DRCs also fellsignificantly. Of greater concern andencouragement to Prisons, the relapse rate
has declined from 81% in 1994 to 66% lastyear.
V. AFTERCAREThe Singapore Corporation of
Rehabilitative Enterprises (SCORE), a
Statutory Board, provides work for drug
and penal inmates within the institutions.
The organisation is also the lead agency inaftercare. The Prisons Department also
works closely with other aftercare agencies:
The Singapore Aftercare Association(SACA) catered for exprisoners; The
Singapore Anti-Narcotics Association(SANA) ; and various Halfway Houses that
also provide aftercare services for treated311

RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 54
drug addicts. Both SACA, SANA andHalfway Houses are referred to as
Voluntary Welfare Organisations (VWOs)
in Singapore. These VWOs provide various
functions and services, ranging from social
counselling for ex-Inmates and families, topractical help like finding lodging and jobs
for ex-inmates.
SCORE has an Aftercare-Counselling
Programme (ACP) which is a one-year
programme providing counselling andsupport to recovering addicts. It was
launched in November 1995 to complement
SANA’s Voluntary Aftercare Officer (VAOs).
These VAOs have for many years helped
recovering addicts cope with the demandsof life after they have completed theirrehabilitation and treatment in the DRCs.
However, due to demands, this limited poolof VAOs were not able to cope with theservices needed by recovering addicts-thus
explaining the need for the ACP
programme. Professionally trained fulltime counsellors were recruited tocompliment the role and functions of VAOs.
The ACP is greared towards placing theownership of the drug problem, and action
for recovery from drugs, on the supervisees
themselves. These expectations are clearly
articulated to the supervisees right fromthe beginning of the programme, and aresystematically inculcated throughout the
duration of the programme. The
programme emphasises relapse prevention
training, gainful employment, and family
and peer support. The counselling schedule
begins with twice a week for the first threemonths, once a week for the next six
months and finally once in two weeks forthe last three months. As can be seen, morecounselling is given at the initial stage ofthe programme to the recovering addict, asadjustments and reintegration problems
are usually the greatest upon discharge
from DRCs.

312

Practical needs of ex-prisoners andrecovering addicts are also tended to help
them successfully reintegrate into society.
SCORE has a Job Placement Unit (JPU)
and its function is to assist released
prisoners and addicts, who experience
difficulty in securing a job, to find suitable
work based on their qualifications and priorexperience. As many as 14,000 inmates andex-inmates have benefited from JPU’s
services since its inception. JPU is also
responsible for arranging jobs for all our
drug inmates who are emplaced on the
CBR-Residential Scheme. Some of there
inmates are placed on the Corporate
Adoption Scheme (CAS). Initiated in 1992,
this scheme aims to help inmates turn overa new leaf at work, gain confidence andboost their self-esteem by encouraging
employers to play a bigger role in theinmates’ recovery and reintegration into
society.
Under the CAS, respective companies
assign mentors to provide individualised
attention and guidance to help the inmates
adjust better to the work environment. The
mentor, together with SCORE’s job
placement officers, regularly meet with theinmate to discuss progress and problems
encountered at work.
VI. FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
It is the wish of any correctional agency
to discover the elixir to the successful
rehabilitation and treatment of offenders.
However, reality tells us that such an aim
is difficult to achieve, if it is indeed everachievable. Looking at Singapore, ourstatistics show that we may be on the righttrack. Perhaps part of our success lies notjust in our rehabilitation efforts but ourunique situation. Singapore is a small
country, which makes it easier to manage.
Success can also be attributed to the sternrehabilitative programmes and a strong
and supportive community to pitch in the

108TH INTERNATIONAL SEMINARPARTICIPANTS’ PAPERS
Community-Based Rehabilitation
Programme.
Nevertheless, there are still some areasthat need to be improved in the effort toprovide effective treatment measures for
prisoners and drug abusers, to facilitate
their reintegration into society. Some ofthese are as follows:(i) Our current allocation of inmates torespective institutions is based more
on security and procedure, rather
than rehabilitation and treatment.
The Prisons Department is currently
looking into the arena of objectiveclassification for inmates fortreatment purposes, pertaining to theempirically established principles ofrisks, criminogenic needs andresponsivity.
(ii) There is a need for greater coordination with aftercare agencies toconsolidate a holistic treatment
package for our drug and penal
inmates. This is to maximise the useof resources as well as to prevent‘double work’.
(iii)There is a need to constantly improveand upgrade the knowledge and skillsof our counsellors, so that they may
possess the skills needed for effective
counselling. Recently, a number ofour counsellors were sent for acertification course in substanceabuse counselling, conducted by two
trainers from the Alcohol and Drug
Abuse Division (ADAD) from Hawaii.
The examinations were set andconducted by the International
Certification and Reciprocity
Consortium (IC & RC). Plans areunderway to set up a Local
Certification Board to certify all
counsellors from the Prisons
D e p a r t m e n t . Tr a i n i n g i s a l s orequired in more specialised topics
like the treatment of sex offenders
and violent offenders.

(iv)The Prisons Department is working
on improving its research capabilities
to objectively evaluate existing
programmes and policies, as well as
to propose new programmes thathave been found to be effective inother correctional settings. Of course,such programmes would have to becontextualised and be evaluated for
effectiveness in the Singapore
setting.
VII. CONCLUSION
In sharing innovations concerning therehabilitation and treatment of penal
inmates and drug addicts, we can only
begin to expand our knowledge base of‘what works’ at a practical level, in
correctional settings. The sharing of the‘Singapore experience’ is based on a context
that is unique-given our history, culture,geographical size and economy. Thus, what
appears to work for the Prisons
Department may not necessarily transpose
effectively to other settings. Nevertheless,
it is hoped that through this paper, theSingapore Prison Service would havecontributed valuable knowledge to thewider community. May our combined
efforts encourage and spur each other toprovide effective treatment measures for
prisoners and drug addicts to facilitate
their reintegration to society.
REFERENCES
Andrews, D., Zinger, I., Hoge, R., Bonta,J., Gendreau, P. and Cullen, F. (1990) ‘A
Clinically Relevant and PsychologicallyInformed Meta-Analysis’ Criminology, 28(3) : 369-403.
Foucault, M. (1977) Discipline andPunishment: The Birth of the Prison,
London: Allen Lane.
Losel,F. (1994) ‘Protective Effects on
Social Resources in Adolescents at High-313

RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 54
Risk for Anti-Social Behaviour ’ in E.
Weitekamp and H. J. Kerne (eds) CrossNational and Longitudinal Research on
Human Development, pp 281-301.
McGuire,J. and Priestley,P. (1995)‘Reviewing ‘What Works’:Past, Present andFuture’ in J. McGuire (ed) What Works:
Reducing Reoffending, New York: John
Wiley & Sons.

APPENDIX APRISONS DEPARTMENT
OGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE

Director

Dy Director

Asst. Director(Operations)Superintendents(Prison Institutions)

314

Asst. Director(Administration)

Superintendents(DRCs)

Asst. Director(Personnel & Training)

Head(Support Units)