The Prisons Service and SCORE have made much progress over the past few years. While ensuring secure incarceration, rehabilitation has become an important function in inmate management.

Many ex-offenders have since benefited from this new approach and have re-joined society.

In its efforts to break the offending cycle, the Prisons Service and SCORE have been working closely to offer vocational training and work opportunities to prisons’ inmates.

They will have the skills to increase their chances at employment after their release. Prisons Service and SCORE have introduced Quality Circle Teams and Insourcing Projects to provide inmates with opportunities to manage the operations of the workshops.

Besides equipping such inmates with work skills on production planning and quality control, these programmes help instil in them responsibility.

The results from pioneering programmes such as the Home Detention Scheme and the setting up of the Prison School have been encouraging.

Since its inception in January 2000, about 2,000 inmates have attended Prison School and 94 per cent have attained academic qualifications during their imprisonment.

Of those on the Home Detention Scheme, over 99 percent have successfully completed the programme.

Since May 2000, more than 3,000 inmates have been emplaced on the Home Detention Scheme, to facilitate their gradual re-integration back to society.

Given the success of the Home Detention Scheme, we intend to expand the scheme by the end of this year to benefit a larger group of offenders.

Excerpt of Minister for Home Affairs Mr Wong Kan Seng's speech on 5 May 2004

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