GOING BEHIND BARS

The Singapore Prison Service offers a look at the process of admitting a person into jail after sentencing at the State Courts.

- Zaihan Mohamed Yusof Senior Correspondent

The “inmate” after undergoing a strip search (above left); he is allowed to make one phone call to a registered number after being moved to a holding cell (above right); he is then taken on board a 16-seater prison bus called “Black Maria” (below) for the ride to Changi Prison Complex.

Mere hours after being sentenced in court, a person can be dressed in prison garb white T-shirt, slippers and blue shorts with no underwear.

This abrupt transition can be particularly distressing for first-time inmates, said Singapore Prison Service officers, who spoke to the media on Jan 15 about their experience with inmate admission.

But prison officers are prepared to deal with inmates who may feel anxious at the start of their incarceration.

Deputy Superintendent of Prisons (DSP) Teo Seng Boon, who is in charge of inmate admission, external movement and inmate release at Changi Prison Complex (CPC), said first-timers are more challenging.

Said DSP Teo, 47: "They may be a bit shocked to come into the prison system, (are) emotionally unstable and start to cry - start to be angry, start to be uncooperative.

"That's when we put to use the skills we have learnt, like restorative practice, for instance. That's when we engage the inmates and try to counsel them, persuade them to follow rules and regulations."

An inmate's journey starts after he is taken from the courtroom to a holding area at the State Courts, where the media on Jan 15 was given a close look at the admissions process.