COMMUNITY-BASED REHABILITATION OF OFFENDERS IN SINGAPORE
Bee Lian Ang*
I. LEGISLATIVE PROVISIONSIn Singapore, the community based management and treatment of offenders is governed by at least
two pieces of legislation. 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 inneed of care or protection, or as an offender or otherwise, shall have regard to the welfare of thechild 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. A probation order is made only when the court deems it properto make it instead of sentencing him/her. A probation order is therefore an order requiring the offender
to be under the supervision of a probation officer or a volunteer probation officer for a period to be
specified in the order of not less than 6 months and not more than 3 years.
The court may make a probation order if the person:a) has reached 16 years old but is below 21 years at the time of his/her conviction; andb) has not been previously convicted of such offence.
The court can also require the offender to comply with certain conditions set by it during the wholeor part of the probation period. These are conditions made by the court after considering thecircumstances of the case and are conditions deemed necessary in helping the offender to have good
conduct and prevent a repetition by him or her of the same offence or the commission of other offences.
An example of such conditions are time restrictions or curfews.
The order may also provide for requirements relating to the residence of the offender. These areagain made with due regard to:•the home surroundings of the offender; and•where the order requires the offender to reside in an approved institution, the name of theinstitution and the period for which he/she is so required to reside is specified in the order. The
period however will not extend beyond 12 months from the date of the order. (Where the period ismore than 6 months, the court will hear a report after 6 months. It will then review the probation
order and consider whether or not to cancel the requirement as to residence or reduce the period,and may, if it thinks fit, amend the order accordingly.)

A pre-sentence report is a social report on an offender, put up by a Probation Officer at the requestof the court, to assess whether the offender is suitable for probation. It is usually a diagnostic account of
the background of the offender and the possible reasons and circumstances that led him or her tocommit the offence. (about 75% of pre-sentence report cases are placed on probation.) The Pre-Sentence* Director,
Rehabilitation and Protection Division and Director of Social Welfare,
Ministry of Community Development and Sports,
Singapore

166

121ST INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSE
VISITING EXPERTS’ PAPERS
Report helps the Court to identify the offender’s problems and needs and to make an appropriate orderwhich will help him/her become a useful and law-abiding citizen.
Before making a probation order, the court will explain to the offender in ordinary language theeffect of the order (including any additional requirements) and that if he or she fails to comply orcommits another offence he or she will be liable to be sentenced for the original offence; and if theoffender is 14 years or older, the court will not make the order unless he or she expresses his or her
willingness to comply with the requirements.
Where a woman or girl is placed under the supervision of a probation officer or volunteer probation
officer, the probation officer or volunteer probation officer, as the case may be, has to be a woman.
A probationer is required by law to:• report regularly to the Probation Officer;• abide by the conditions of the Probation Order (e.g. curfew, CSO);• participate in the rehabilitation programmes organised or directed by the Ministry.
Where a probationer re-offends or persistently fails to comply with the conditions of his Probation
Order, he or she will be brought back to Court to be dealt with for the offence(s) for which he was placedon probation. He/she or she may be sent to an institution or fined. He/she will then have a criminal
record.
Under what kind of circumstances is probation usually granted?
Before placing an offender on probation, the Court usually calls for a Pre-Sentence report. This
Report is prepared by a Probation Officer and entails a thorough social investigation of the offender.
The Report provides information on the offender’s home/family, his or her character, behaviour and thecircumstances, which led him or her to commit the offence(s). For offenders below 16 years of age at thetime of the guilty plea or when found guilty by the Juvenile Court, Pre-sentence Report will be called
for almost always. For offenders 16 years of age and above, a pre-sentence report is only furnished whencalled for by the Courts.
Does granting of probation depend on the nature of the crime? Or does the family background come intoplay?
The Probation Officer considers the following factors in his recommendation on a suitablerehabilitation programme for the offender:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

gravity of offence(s)role of offender in the commission of offence(s)citizenship of offender e.g. a tourist who is here on a social visit and got arrested for shoplifting is
not likely to be considered for probation
character of the offenderpresence of effective/responsible parents/guardian
education/employment status
risk of re-offending
availability of community-based programmes to meet risks & needs
recommendation by school, social worker, psychiatrist etc.

A. Probation Committees
The Probation of Offenders Act provides for the Minister to appoint a probation committee(s)consisting of such persons as he or she thinks fit to review the work of probation officers and volunteer
probation officers in individual cases. There are two committees – the Adult Probation Case Committee
and Juvenile Probation Case Committee.

167

RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 61
The terms of reference of the two committees are spelt out in Rule 15 of the Probation of Offenders
Rules as follows:a) To receive and consider written and oral reports from Probation Officers and Volunteer Probation
Officers on the progress of each of the cases under their supervision;b) To afford such help and advice to Probation Officers and Volunteer Probation Officers in performing
their duties; andc) To direct, where necessary, any information furnished to the Committee to be given to the Court.
The APCC meets quarterly to review the progress of probation cases. Reforming and rehabilitatingeach offender is of paramount importance. Increasingly, there is widespread acceptance that thecomplexity of crime requires a multi-pronged approach and has to incorporate elements of deterrence,incapacitation and rehabilitation. A balance will have to be struck between the offender’s need forrehabilitation, accountability for the offending behaviour, and risks to public safety.
B. Tiered Supervision
Probation is the conditional suspension of punishment while an offender is placed under thesupervision of a Probation Officer and given guidance or treatment within the community. In
Singapore, the period of probation ranges from 6 months to 3 years and there are 3 grades of probation;
administrative, supervised and intensive probation. The level of service and supervision is matched to
the level of risks and potential for rehabilitation. Relevant factors include criminal history, motivation
for change, school progress and family situation. The conditions imposed as part of the probation orderdiffer in terms of the level of supervision, frequency of contacts, the number of restrictions and theprogrammes the juvenile is mandated to attend. The probationers may also be subjected to a
combination of conditions. The degree of supervision and monitoring increases progressively with each
grade.
Split probation may be considered for cases which are assessed to be needing more intensive
supervision or intervention only during the initial period. The system of graded probation allows forrational allocation of resources while providing Probation Officers the flexibility to match probation
supervision to meet individualised needs. Details of the graded system can be found in Annex II of the“National Standards for the Probation of Offenders and their Rehabilitation in the Community.”
Several measures have been taken in the last 2-3 years to enhance the effectiveness of probationand promote its credibility as an effective means of dealing with selected offenders. These include:
C. Community Service Order (CSO) as a Condition of Probation
The CSO was introduced as a condition of probation in December 1996. A CSO is an order of thecourt requiring an offender to perform unpaid work for a specific number of hours. It can be meted out
as a condition of probation or as a stand-alone order.
The objectives of CSOs are 3-fold:a) As a rehabilitative measure, CSOs afford an offender a positive experience through community
work and this in turn fosters the development of empathy and consideration for others. In theprocess, the offender gains meaningful social experiences, develops constructive social relationshipskills, and regains self-esteem and confidence;b) As a punishment, CSOs deprive an offender of his/her leisure hours;c) As a form of reparation, CSOs provide the offender an opportunity to make amends for the wrongs /hurt caused by the offending behaviour through service to the community.

168

121ST INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSE
VISITING EXPERTS’ PAPERS
An evaluation of the programme from the viewpoint of probationers and the agencies showed thatthe objectives of the programme were met. Benefits cited by probationers and agencies include:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)

Acquisition of new skills
Improved intra-family relationship through better communication
More useful at home; more responsible
More considerate and mindful of others
Agencies generally found the probationers’ work good or at the very least, satisfactory.

Besides using the CSO as a platform for vocational development and skills acquisition, CSO
placements are also designed to give ample opportunities for offenders to be self-affirmed. In
implementing the CSO programme, we strive to establish a nexus between the offence committed andthe type of community service an offender is required to perform. For cyber offenders, CSO placement
includes a stint of volunteering in projects which demand constructive use of IT savvy-ness for aworthwhile cause eg. developing start-up screens to warn against hacking and consequences of cybercrimes, developing parent education materials on supervising children in internet time, developing IT
applications for life-long learning for the elderly or for the disabled to plug into the info-tech world.
D. Programmes
1. Core & Elective Programmes
In 1998, a structured programme was devised for probationers to augment reporting and casework.
Divided into core programmes i.e. those deemed essential and beneficial to every probationer or parent,and elective programmes which target specific risks and needs depending on the offender and type ofoffence, the programmes were intended to provide:
a)
b)
c)
d)

avenues and measures to benchmark the probationer’s progress;
opportunities for probationers to work through lapses of bad behaviour;
avenues for constructive pursuit of leisure time; andopportunities for specific problems to be addressed.

Examples of the core programme include a group-based induction for new probationers, victim
impact, parenting workshops and a pre-termination session. Elective programmes in turn seek toaddress a variety of risk factors or individual needs of probationers which may undermine progress on
probation if left unattended. Programmes targeting alcohol dependency, anger and aggression, secretsociety involvement, drugs misuse, and personal development programmes like making healthy life
choices, study skills etc are some examples.
2. Focused Programmes to Address Specific Risks
To minimise non-completion or re-offending for the more serious or high risk probation cases,
specific programmes are put in place in collaboration with various government, non-governmentorganisations and the corporate sector. These include programmes that especially help young offenders
to quit smoking and to exercise restrained use of alcohol.
3. Probation Services in Family Service Centres
Efforts to widen probation for young offenders mean that services should be more closely linked tothe schools and the community. As such, several family service centres now serve as venues forindividual and groupwork for offenders and their families.
4. Employment Development ProgrammesWork development programmes have been put in place to cater to out-of-school and offenders whoface difficulty staying in school and cannot find a job. Income generating activities throughcollaborations with the disability sector eg. Bizlink Centre and Metta Welfare Association are ways inwhich probationers help people with special needs and the elderly to remain competitive in meeting
work targets which are sometimes hard to accomplish. The probationers in turn get the opportunity todevelop positive work habits and skills within a sheltered work setting.

169

RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 61
E. The Family as the Basic Building Block of Society and Change Agent
About 75% of the probation population are below 18 years of age. Of these, about 65% are either inthe school or technical education system. 15% come from single parents and about 75% are from nuclear
families.
In working with offenders, we continue to hold on to the belief that the family should remain an
important resource for the individual. In the case of juveniles, it can be the most important change
agent and one that will ensure that any gains from rehabilitation are sustained. Probation is used as an
instrument of change to re-shape attitudes, values and behaviours. We work on mending flaws within
the individual and family system to empower the probationer and family to sustain changes and build
up resilience.
The strengthening families framework used in community-based rehabilitation of offenders begin
from the pre-sentence stage right to the end of probation. Family engagement and empowerment
include:a) negotiated action plan where probation is recommended or for resistant cases, the plan of action is
discussed with the parents;b) parental bond to exercise proper care and supervision;c) attendance at core and elective programmes for parents eg. parents induction, experiential
parenting workshops, parents support groups, educational talks on gangs, substance abuse, prison
visits (with their offender child);d) other specialised services eg. special sessions for parents of young sex offenders;e) progress review with the parents and providing feedback on outcome of court reviews;
f)family conference, solution or problem-focused counselling and other sessions;g) pre-termination programme for both probationer and parents.
At each stage of the probation process, the roles and responsibilities of parents and what is expectedof them are made clear. Disadvantaged families are given additional help to enhance their functioning.
Casework in such instances may include sponsorship of a divorced or widowed parent on a computer
course or back-to-work programmes.
F. The Many Helping Hands Approach to Community Rehabilitation
Laws and punishment alone are insufficient to meet the challenge of crime. Effective family support
and control can help to prevent offenders from a downward spiral into a life of crime and the consequenteconomic and social costs to the individual, family and community. Active and caring community
involvement will lend impetus to national efforts to combat crime.
Probation offers an alternative to sending a young offender to a correctional facility. However, thechallenge lies in ensuring there are adequate support services and interventions at the probation
programme level to lend weight to the viability of community-based orders.
Probation, as a community-based rehabilitation programme, works only if there is community
support and involvement. The community’s acceptance of offenders and their potential for change,
understanding of the goals, principles and methods of probation, and their commitment to support
reintegration efforts cannot be overly emphasised.
Thus the Probation Service has, since the 70s, and more so in recent years, actively engaged andinvolved the community in a variety of ways.

170

121ST INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSE
VISITING EXPERTS’ PAPERS
G. Volunteer Probation Officers: Community Probation Service
The Community Probation Service (CPS), introduced in June 1971, is now 30 years old. It has over
300 active volunteers at most times. Volunteer Probation Officers (VPOs), complement the work ofProbation Officers. By befriending and guiding probationers, VPOs help to steer young people back tothe straight and narrow path. For many cases that do well during probation, VPOs make a realdifference in re-shaping the lives of young offenders. To put it in the words of a young offender, “I feel solousy when I don’t do my best ... how to face my VPO? She has been so good to me – she is not evenpaid.....even my parents don’t bother as much”. Today, this probationer is a well-integrated young
person in one of the polytechnics.
Sustaining, supporting and providing on-going training to keep volunteers continually challenged
and motivated poses a big challenge. To appeal to the diversity of interests, skills, talents and volunteer
aspirations, the CPS offers a wide scope of involvement to cater to the VPOs’ interests, skills andtraining and the various stages of their volunteer life cycle. These include:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)

casework
project work
preparation of pre-sentence reports, organising of activities for probationers and parents
time restriction checks
Committee and volunteer coordination work
Groupwork

VPOs are currently involved in formulating annual work plans relating to activities for and by
volunteers, organising VPO Skills Training Seminars aimed at sharpening skills in working withtoday’s youth, and recently, even developing a guidebook to support VPOs in rehabilitation work withyoung offenders.
H. National Standards for the Probation of Offenders & their Rehabilitation in theCommunity
To reap maximum benefits of partnerships with families and the community, it is important thatthe probation investigation and supervision process is made transparent to all parties including theprobationer and family. Transparency and accountability are twin goals that are especially relevant in
the probation context where the balance of power is clearly tilted against the offender.
In 2000, the Probation Service made a public commitment to service standards and best practice inprobation work through the publishing of the “National Standards for the Probation of Offenders andtheir Rehabilitation in the Community”. The publication, put together jointly by the Service and theSubordinate Courts is a significant milestone in the development of the probation system in Singapore.
It also sets the service among the first services to make public its delivery standards.
II. CHALLENGES FOR THE FUTURE
The rapid economic restructuring needed to transform Singapore into a knowledge-intensive
economy has began to change employment patterns. Rising structural unemployment, especially among
the less-educated workers will pose a serious challenge even for those who work in rehabilitation. The
challenge is to ensure that rehabilitation aims to prepare the offenders to get jobs and be gainfully
employed and meaningfully engaged in society.
The Service will have to continue to leverage on national policy on continuous learning and easy
access to info-technology to better prepare probationers to carve job niches for themselves and reduce
re-offending due to economic reasons.
Partners for collaborative research, exchange of executive programmes and other partnerships bothwith local partners and overseas counterparts to continue to inject dynamism in the management,
implementation and evaluation of the Service both at the programme as well as the system level willremain central concerns to stay abreast of current knowledge and know-how.

171

RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 61
Identification of risk assessment and management tools, and data management systems that will
help us to achieve better outcomes with less manpower.
Widening the use of probation would invariably mean the challenge of having to meet and deal withmore complex needs of individuals and families, and more support to the many helping hands weengage in the rehabilitation of offenders. These issues have to be adequately dealt with at appropriate
levels if we are to continue in our drive towards a more progressive treatment of offenders in Singapore.

172

121ST INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSE
VISITING EXPERTS’ PAPERS
APPENDIX
Conditions and Duration of the 3 Grades of Probation
Grades and period of probation
Item

Administrative
probation(6 months to 1 year)

Conditions

Recommended
Hours of CSO

Supervised probation(1 to 2 years)

Intensiveprobation(2 to 3 years)

In addition to the conditions
which may be imposed for
Administrative Probation, thefollowing may be imposed:-

In addition to theconditions which
may be imposed for
Administrative
Probation andSupervised
Probation, thefollowing may be
imposed:-• To comply with time
restrictions• To work faithfully at
suitable employment orfaithfully pursue acourse of study or
vocational training thatwill equip the offenderfor employment• To make a good faitheffort towards
completion of his courseof study or vocational
training• To participate in orcomply with thetreatment plan of an
inpatient or outpatient
rehabilitation
programme specified byeither the court or the
probation officer• To attend an attendance
centre and participate inanti-secret society talks
or prison visits• To attend healthy
lifestyle awarenessprogrammes• To be involved incommunity projects• To maintain regular contact
with a probation officer• To allow the probation
officer to visit the offenderat reasonable times at his
home or workplace or any
other place• Not to smoke• Not to drink alcohol• Not to associate with or bein the company of secretsociety members• Not to associate with or bein the company of persons
who are engaged in criminal
activities• Not to patronise or visit
pubs, discotheques, nightclubs, karaoke lounges,
billiards saloons or video
game arcades• To maintain a neat andproper appearance• To remove tattoos by a
medical practitioner withina specified period from thedate of the probation order• To refrain from any contact,direct or indirect, with thevictim or any other person• To submit to regular drug
and/or alcohol tests• To reside for a
specified period in
an approved
institution orhome or hostel• To beelectronicallytaggedNot less than 40 hours

Not more than 120 hours

Between 120 to
240 hours

173