Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on Average Wage Earned by Prison Inmates Per Hour of Work in Prison Jobs in the Past Three Years

Question:

Leon Perera: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) in the past three years, what has been the average wage earned by prison inmates per hour of work in prison jobs; and (b) whether the Ministry prescribes a wage framework for such jobs or is developing one.

Answer:

Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law:

1.    The objective of work programmes is to ensure that inmates stay purposefully engaged, develop positive work ethics, and gain useful skills while they are in prison, so as to prepare them to join the workforce upon release.

2.    Inmates can choose whether they want to participate in work programmes. For those who choose to participate, they will receive an allowance. The allowance is not meant to be a wage but serves to motivate inmates to perform well and develop themselves while on work programmes. Currently, this ranges from about $0.30 to $2.60 per hour for prison workshops, and depends on the requirements of the work programme.