SPS Volunteer Awards Ceremony 2026 - Speech by Mr Goh Pei Ming, Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Social and Family Development

Commissioner of Prisons

Our valued volunteers and family members

Distinguished guests

Friends and colleagues

Introduction

1. A very good evening to everyone.

2. I am really happy to be here for this ceremony today. This is a very significant occasion, and I am especially happy to see such a cohesive and fun-loving group, working hand-in-hand to support our prisoners, our people in need.

3. Volunteers, and all of you, alongside our Captains of Lives, play a vital role in providing an invaluable source of support for our inmates. Rehabilitation is a collective effort, and the journey of reintegration begins while inmates are in prison.

4. Volunteers act as beacons of hope to inmates and ex-offenders, and your guidance helps them navigate challenges while keeping their eyes on the path ahead. This transformative journey demands not just hard work, but genuine heart work.

SPS 80 – Eight Decades of Transformation

5. This year, we commemorate the 80^th anniversary of the Singapore Prison Service. From its formal establishment in the year 1946 as the Prisons Department, SPS has undergone a remarkable transformation.

6. Prisons were once overcrowded and under-resourced. Imprisonment was solely viewed as punishment and a form of deterrence. Today, prisons is also a place for rehabilitation and change. As a result of our efforts towards transformation, SPS is a trusted and leading correctional agency with one of the lowest two-year recidivism rates in the world. For the 2023 release cohort, this number stands at 21.9 per cent, which is a very good number and credit to every single one of you. Thank you very much.

7. All of you – volunteers, our community partners, our agencies – have journeyed together with SPS and our inmates, both inside and outside of prison walls. That has made the difference.

A Growing Community of Volunteers

8. Alongside SPS’s transformation, volunteerism has also evolved. Volunteers were involved in the rehabilitation of inmates as early as the 1970s, when the first few religious organisations stepped forward.

9. Over time, volunteerism grew into a more diverse and inclusive ecosystem, as secular organisations joined and provided programmes aimed at supporting inmates in their reintegration journey.

10. In the year 2000, we had around 200 volunteers supporting our work. As of June 2026, we now have about 4,600 volunteers registered across the different volunteer schemes, supporting SPS.

11. This number speaks volumes about the heart our society has in giving second chances. 

12. Significantly, this year also marks the 20th Annual SPS Volunteers Awards Ceremony. This award ceremony, started in 2007, seeks to honour the dedication of community partners, volunteers, and social service agencies who contribute to the rehabilitation and reintegration of inmates and ex-offenders.

13. In 2021, SPS introduced the Journey Shield, then known as the 10-year Journey Plaque, to honour organisations that partnered with us for more than a decade.

14. In 2023, we introduced the Throughcare Hero Award to recognise exemplary individual volunteers who journeyed with inmates and ex-offenders from incare to aftercare.

15. After nearly two decades, today’s ceremony stands as a testament to how far we have come together — celebrating milestones of service, enduring partnerships, and the throughcare journeys that have transformed many, many lives.

Expanding Our Reach Together

16. Over the years, SPS has introduced new volunteer schemes.

17. For instance, in 2010, when SPS introduced the Befriending Programme, the goal was to ensure that no individual has to walk the path of rehabilitation and reintegration alone.

18. In 2023, SPS launched the Volunteer Case Officer (or VCO) scheme. Our VCOs engage and support supervisees on their reintegration journey out in the community. They help to connect them with community resources, motivating them to stay on the right path after their release.

Enhancing Our Impact Together

19. Today, SPS works closely with 78 partner organisations, spanning social service agencies, partners from religious organisations to desistor-led support groups.

20. Only with a strong and inclusive support ecosystem comprising volunteers, desistors, our Captains of Lives and the inmates themselves, can the spirit of rehabilitation extend beyond prison walls, creating an environment where ex-offenders have the best possible chance of rebuilding their lives.

21. In attendance with us today is Ezra. Ezra is a desistor who has benefitted from the support of this ecosystem. Today, he is working in the care sector, pursuing a part-time diploma, and hopes to eventually take up a degree in social work. I come from the Ministry of Social and Family Development, and I look forward to having you.

22. Later today, Ezra will be part of a collaborative band performance, together with prison volunteer Derrick and Captains of Lives, our officers Ewen, Joseph and Zul. I look forward to that performance.

23. And later when we look at the band coming together, their performance is actually a very apt reminder - a representation of the interconnected relationships working hand-in-hand among the different stakeholders in this very important ecosystem.

Celebrating Our Volunteers’ Achievements

24. Today, SPS will honour 420 volunteers and 71 community partners. Your dedication has been inspirational.

25. I would like to take the opportunity to thank all the family members of the volunteers present for your support. Your unwavering support enables your loved ones to keep putting in hours and hours of volunteering. The hours of volunteering have impacted lives, changed lives – not just for ex-offenders but for their families as well. Please join me to give a big round of applause to all our family members.

26. I hope to now indulge you in sharing a few other stories - two of our volunteers and one community partner, who are here with us today. They have supported our cause wholeheartedly.

Feature Story 1: Mr Dushyanth

27. Dushyanth is a volunteer with SANA’s Hindu Religious Guidance Volunteer programme, and Dushyanth conducts weekly counselling and educational sessions for inmates. Drawing on Hindu scriptures and values, Dushyanth has encouraged many inmates to reflect on their choices and supports them in their rehabilitation and reintegration journey.

28. Over time, he has seen how patience and trust can make a difference. He recalls an inmate who was initially reluctant to participate in Hindu values-based activities but later, this individual became one of its strongest advocates.

29. Dushyanth believes in building genuine relationships, and that this is key to inspiring positive change, and he continues to guide inmates as they grow in gratitude, respect, and self-awareness. Congratulations and thank you very much, Dushyanth, for being awarded the three-year Long Service Award!

Feature Story 2: Ms Khong Pui Sheong, Eileen

30. The next story is about Eileen. Someone who is receiving the twenty-five-year service award.

31. Eileen has dedicated more than 20 years (or 25 years) to supporting inmates and ex-offenders on their rehabilitation journey.

32. She began volunteering with the Singapore After-Care Association and has continued to impart life skills as a secular programme volunteer and as a befriender.

33. Through her work, she has witnessed both the struggles as well as the successes of reintegration. From supporting ex-offenders struggling with strained family relationships, she has journeyed alongside them every step of the way.

34. In recent years, she has also extended her efforts to support the families of inmates, particularly incarcerated mothers, by checking on their children and caregivers to ensure they receive the help they need. So, congratulations Eileen on receiving the 25-year Long Service Award.

35. Dushyanth and Eileen are among many, many volunteers that we met in the room today who exemplify commitment, empathy and dedication, in your resolve to transform lives and making second chances possible. Thank you very much.

Community Partner – Awful Grace

36. Next, I want to speak about one community partner. Community partners also play a crucial role in supporting inmates in their reintegration journey. The community partner that I would like to speak about is Awful Grace. Awful Grace has been a partner of SPS since 2017, supporting inmates through creative and values-based programmes that encourage reflection and growth.

37. Its flagship programme, The Journey, uses pottery as a therapeutic and reflective tool, to help participants process their past experiences and build resilience. Over the past nine years, this programme has had 12 runs, reaching over 130 participants. And beyond incarceration, Awful Grace also supports families through initiatives such as Dads Do Care and Family Matters, and both are very close to our work in MSF. Thank you very much for helping to rebuild relationships and address trauma brought about by incarceration.

38. Awful Grace reminds us transformation is possible even when everything seems so difficult, so irreparable, and there is always hope for reparation and reconciliation. Thank you very much, Awful Grace.

Towards Our Next Chapter

39. As we mark the 20^th Annual SPS Volunteer Awards Ceremony this year, our ambition is not simply to do more. We want to go deeper – deeper into our partnerships, deeper into our communities, and deeper into the lives of those who need it the most.

40. It is not just a celebration of the past, but this is also a commitment to the future that we want to build together.

41. SPS will continue to work closely with various community partners and volunteers to improve inmates’ chances of reintegrating back into society successfully, while providing more opportunities for everyone in the community to make a difference.

42. In conclusion, I would like to once again extend our heartfelt appreciation to all our award recipients and volunteers present today. As we commemorate the Singapore Prison Service's 80th anniversary, your dedication, your compassion, and your selflessness, remind us that our work has a profound impact on the lives of those entrusted to our care and their families. As we look forward to the next 80 years and beyond, we are grateful to have all of you walking this journey alongside us on this shared mission.

43. Thank you very much for being our SPS volunteers!