Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on Why Approximately 40 Percent of Newly-Admitted Prison Inmates Do Not Request to Participate in the Yellow Ribbon Community Project

Question:

Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) what are the main reasons why approximately 40% of newly-admitted prison inmates do not request to participate in the Yellow Ribbon Community Project; and (b) whether there are efforts to lower this percentage such that vulnerable families and dependants are able to receive timely access to assistance when required.

Answer:

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

1.   The Yellow Ribbon Community Project (YRCP) is a voluntary programme offered to all newly-admitted inmates. It serves as a touchpoint for inmates' families to access assistance if required

2.   The most common reason cited for inmates who chose not to participate in the YRCP, was that they assessed that their family members did not require assistance, or the families were already receiving some form of community assistance. Other reasons include inmates not wanting their family members and the surrounding community to know about their incarceration, and inmates who said they did not have any family.

3.   To encourage inmates to participate, officers in Singapore Prison Service (SPS) explain the importance and benefits of YRCP to all newly-admitted inmates. SPS also sends broadcasts on the benefits of YRCP via the inmates' tablets to further enhance awareness.

4.   Inmates who did not opt in at the point of admission can choose to participate in the YRCP at any point during their incarceration. There are also other touchpoints put in place by SPS to provide assistance to the families of inmates. SPS triages newly-admitted inmates with young children, and refers families who require assistance to Family Service Centres (FSCs) for follow-up. Inmates can also request assistance for their families through referrals put up by the SPS officers to the Prisons' Family Resource Centres (FRCs). The FRCs provide outreach services and are located at the Changi Prison Link Centre, where families can conveniently walk in to seek assistance when they visit their loved ones.

5.   SPS also works with community partners like The Salvation Army and New Life Stories to deliver family programmes for the inmates' families.