Ex-offenders to get more support for easing back into society

Sharing expertise across organisations part of new efforts to improve care

- Syarafana Shafeeq

To better support ex-offenders to ease back into society, the workers who help them will be moved across organisations to share expertise, said Law Minister Edwin Tong on July 24.

The aftercare support sector will widen its network of partners, too. These steps, along with assessing needs and reducing programme overlap, are part of new efforts to improve care for ex-offenders in the next five years.

The new framework for the Community Action for the Rehabilitation of Ex-Offenders (Care) Network will guide the sector towards reducing recidivism among ex-offenders.

Singapore's two-year recidivism rate has fallen from 40.1 per cent in 2000 to 21.3 per cent for the 2022 cohort, which is among the lowest globally. Recidivism refers to the tendency of an ex-inmate to reoffend.

The five-year rate for the 2019 cohort was 36.6 per cent, marking the third straight year it has stayed below 40 per cent.

This is partly due to the collective work of the Care Network, which comprises agencies that support this work, said Mr Tong. He was speaking at the Care Network Summit and Correctional Practice and Research Symposium on July 24 at Parkroyal Collection Marina Bay.

The network was set up in 2000 to encourage partners who provide aftercare and other services for inmates, ex-offenders and their families to work together.