Renowned international and local speakers touched on various themes on the rehabilitation of youth offenders at a two-day (20-21 Nov) conference at the Suntec Convention Centre. Organised by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS), the Social Service Training Institute (SSTI) and the Singapore Association of Social Workers (SASW), the Conference on the Rehabilitation of Youth Offenders covered various topics ranging from the shift to community-based approaches in offender rehabilitation, the reintegration of institutionalised offenders, community partnerships, and targeted interventions for offenders with specialised needs.

2 At the conference opening, Guest-of-Honour, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, and Second Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts, announced two changes in the area of youth offender rehabilitation – an increase in funding to the Guidance

Programme and the building of capacity in offender rehabilitation. There were also addresses delivered by District Judge Bala Reddy (Subordinate Courts), Mr Ng Joo Hee, Director of Prisons (Singapore Prison Service) and Mr Jason Wong, Director of the Rehabilitation, Protection and Residential Services Division (MCYS).

3 The conference also featured an ex-youth offender as one of the masters of ceremony for the event. Tok Heng Seng, Alexander, aged 23 years, was placed on 24 months of supervised probation in July 2003 for 27 counts of infringement of the Copyright Act. With guidance from his Probation Officer, he has since successfully moved on to complete his polytechnic education with a Diploma in Engineering Information.

4 Please refer to Annexes 1 to 4 for more information on the conference as well as conference speakers and sessions. More information on Alexander’s story can also be found in Annex 5.

5 In his Opening Address, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan announced the increase of up to 25 per cent in funding for the 17 social service agencies that are running  the Guidance Programme (GP) - a six-month programme for first-time young offenders to divert them away from being charged in Court. In the programme, participants undergo counselling, groupwork and other activities aimed at addressing offending behaviours and imparting life skills. The programme also aims to address participants’ vulnerability towards re-offending. Initiated by MCYS in 1997, GP has diverted about 6,000 young offenders from the juvenile and criminal justice systems. Among those who completed the programme, only less than 10 per cent re-offended subsequently.

6 In 2004, GP was extended to offenders in the 16 to 19 age group, instead of being limited to juveniles (below 16 years of age). Currently, offenders in the 16 to 19 age group make up about 30 per cent of all GP referrals. In July 2006, a pilot to extend GP to intellectually disabled offenders was implemented.

The diversity of cases referred to GP has called for a calibrated, instead of a onesize fits all, approach in addressing the criminogenic needs of offenders.

7 With increased funding, the GP agencies can develop better capabilities among staff to continue running the programme. In addition, agencies will also be expected to conduct a risk assessment for each youth assigned in order to better tailor the intervention programme to suit the needs of individual youth offenders.

8 Please refer to Annex 6 for a detailed fact sheet on GP, and Annex 7 for information on selected GP agencies.

9 Minister Vivian Balakrishnan also touched on the building of capabilities in the area of offender rehabilitation. As part of ongoing efforts to enhance specialist skills in the area of rehabilitation of young offenders for current workers in the field and social work students, Minister announced that MCYS and the Department of Social Work in the National University of Singapore (NUS) are in discussion to start a module on juvenile rehabilitation as part of the social work curriculum in NUS.

10 This module will cover theories on offending and rehabilitation, legal provisions guiding rehabilitation work, as well as possible site visits to key institutions providing rehabilitation services for young offenders. It is hoped that social work students will have the opportunity to acquaint themselves with the subject of offender rehabilitation services before they embark on their careers in their chosen fields.

11 The 13-week specialist module is slated for implementation in August 2008.

ISSUED BY

MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS

20 November 2007

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Annex 1: Conference fact sheet

Annex 2: Conference programme

Annex 3: Description of plenary sessions and workshop streams

Annex 4: Biographies of plenary speakers

Annex 5: Write-up on “Alan” (an ex-probationer) and other ex-probationers (TBC)

Annex 6: Fact sheet on Guidance Programme

Annex 7: Write-up on selected Guidance Programme agencies

The above conference is jointly organised by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS), the Social Service Training Institute (SSTI) and the Singapore Association of Social Workers (SASW). It is supported by the National Council of Social Service (NCSS), the National Committee on Youth Guidance and Rehabilitation (NYGR) and the CARE Network.

2 The objectives of the conference are:

a. To equip participants with knowledge and skills in working with emerging client groups in the new justice paradigm;

b. To create awareness and generate interest in the social service sector on working with young offenders;

c. To engender an atmosphere of collaboration and exchange amongst practitioners in seeking better outcomes for young offenders; and

d. To create a networking platform for discussion on best practices and innovative methods in meeting the needs of young offenders.

3 The details of the full event are as follow:

Date: 20 November 2007 (Tuesday) to 21 November 2007 (Wednesday)

Venue: Theatre (Level 2)

Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre 1 Raffles Boulevard Singapore 039593

4 The conference is expected to be attended by more than 500 guests and participants, including representatives from NYGR, CARE Network, and other governmental, academic and social service partners of MCYS.

5 Among key plenary speakers, include Judge Andrew Becroft, the Principal Youth Court Judge from New Zealand, as well as Professor Ross Homel, an internally acclaimed academic on rehabilitation issues.

6 The Opening Ceremony on 20 November 2007 will be graced by Guest of Honour, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan (Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, and Second Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts) who will deliver the Opening Address.

7 Among other guests, the Opening Ceremony will also attended by Dr Mohamad Maliki bin Osman’s (Parliamentary Secretary for National Development, and Deputy Chairman of NYGR), Senior District Judge Mr Richard Magnus, and RADM (Ret) Kwek Siew Jin, President of the National Council of Social Service.

8 The Closing Ceremony on 21 November 2007 will be graced by Guest of Honour, Associate Professor Ho Peng Kee (Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs; and Law), who will deliver the Closing Address in his capacity as the Chairman of NYGR.

8.30 am Registration

9.00 am Opening Performance

9.10 am Opening Address by Guest-of-Honor, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports and Second Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts

9.15 am Joint Keynote Address by Subordinate Court Judge, Director of Singapore Prison Service, and Director of Rehabilitation, Protection and Residential Services, MCYS

10.00 am Tea Break

Principal Youth Court Judge, New Zealand

Undersecretary Department of Social Welfare and Development, and Chairperson, Juvenile Justice and Welfare Council, Philippines

12.00 pm Question and Answer

12.30 pm Lunch

2.00 pm Performance

Forensic Psychiatrist, Institute of Mental Health, Singapore

3.00 pm Question and Answer

3.15 pm Tea Break

- Preventing Juvenile Crime Through Community Partnerships: The Pathways to Prevention Project as a Case Study of Developmental Prevention in Disadvantaged Communities (Professor Ross Homel, Griffith University, Australia)

- Pathways to Delinquency: Implications to Offending Prevention and Treatment (Associate Professor Dennis Wong, City University of Hong Kong)

- Youth Justice Conferencing (Ms Linda Fielding, Relationships Australia)

5.15 pm End

8.30 am Registration

9.00 am Performance

Director, Key Centre for Ethics, Law, Justice and Governance, Griffith University, Australia

10.00 am Question and Answer

10.15 am Tea Break

- Family Intervention Programme with Trainees at the Reformative Training Centre (RTC) (Dr Cecilia Soong, Lakeside Family Centre (LFC))

- The Role of Court Advisors (Mr Norbani Mohamed Nazeri, University of Malaya)

- Singapore's Beyond Parental Control Order: A 10-year Review of Families who seek

12.15 pm Lunch and Poster session

Associate Professor, Department of Applied Social Studies, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

2.45 pm Question and Answer

3.00 pm Tea Break

Associate Professor, Institute for Policy Studies, Johns Hopkins University, Maryland, United States of America

4.15 pm Question and Answer

4.30 pm Closing ceremony – Closing address by Associate Professor Ho Peng Kee, Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs and Law, and Chairperson, National Committee on Youth Guidance and Rehabilitation

5.00 pm End

The conference will consist of six plenary sessions, as well as a joint Keynote Address to be delivered by District Judge Bala Reddy, Subordinate Courts, Mr Ng Joo Hee, Director of Prisons, Singapore Prison Service, and Mr Jason Wong, Director, Rehabilitation, Protection and Residential Services Division, MCYS.

Youth Justice is a headline grabber. More than other areas of the justice system, it is often a “political football”. And it is all too susceptible to volatile pendulum swings in policy and approach, easily dominated by populist pressures. Youth Justice requires a principled, evidence-based, best practice approach. International experience, research and practice have clearly established what are the key features of effective Youth Justice systems.

This session will focus on the practice of forensic psychiatry in Singapore, including the more unique features of forensic practice in the local context. Also briefly presented is the branch of public law known as the criminal or penal law, which forms the backdrop to the forensic psychiatric discipline.

This session will use the Pathways to Prevention project in Brisbane as an example of a researcher-practitioner partnership that aimed to apply knowledge about human development to the design of programs that affect preschool and primary school children living in socially and economically disadvantaged communities.

Criminologists have endeavored to incorporate the most promising insights from various psychological and sociological perspectives into a single integrated model to explain delinquency since the late 1970s. Based on the findings of Western researchers and the author’s own social work experience, an interactional social process model is constructed to explain the onset and continuation of delinquency. This session will highlight the model and its implications to youth offending prevention and treatment as well as how the theory of reintegrative shaming and restorative justice are useful for delinquency prevention.

This session will identify how and why the worlds of residential and community aftercare can diverge, exploring the implications these have on both the young people themselves and public safety. Evidence-based strategies and promising practices that directly address the divergences will be described and discussed. Organisational structure, policy guidance, management, staffing, workload, training, program components and philosophy, assessment and classification, graduated incentives and consequences, collaboration, and quality assurance will each be examined as they relate to bridging residential and community aftercare.

This explores the various community-based approaches in various jurisdictions in the rehabilitation of youth offenders.

This provides a critical look at the different services and programmes established in the management of offenders in institutional settings, as well as the challenges in reintegrating these offenders upon their release.

This looks at participation of various segments of the community in developing innovative approaches in working with youth offenders.

Effective rehabilitation of youth offenders usually involves risk-specific treatment and case management, rather than a “one-size-fits-all” approach. This topic explores a variety of interventions targeted at specific risks and needs of different types of offenders.

Theories abound in seeking to explain youth delinquency and offending. This topic sheds light on various models and studies of offending through empirical and theoretical studies.

Judge Becroft, B.A./LL.B (Hons), Auckland University, was appointed Principal Youth Court Judge of New Zealand in June 2001. In 1986, he assisted with the establishment of the Mangere Community Law Centre and worked there as the Centre’s senior solicitor until 1993. He then worked as a criminal barrister in South Auckland until his appointment to the District Court, in Wanganui, in 1996. Judge Becroft is a former council member of the Auckland District Law Society and the New Zealand Law Society. He is a current editor of LexisNexis, “Transport Law”. Judge Becroft is currently the Patron of the New Zealand Speak Easy Association Inc., which assists those with various forms of speech impediment.

Alicia R. Bala, MSW (University of the Philippines), is the Undersecretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and Chairperson of the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Council in the Philippines. She has been with DSWD for over 30 years and has held key positions when she was with Training and Publication Service, Personnel Service, the Bureau of Women's Welfare as well as Programs and Project Bureau in DSWD. She is currently in the committee of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking and Inter-Agency Council Against Violence of Women and Children.

Dr Phang, M.Med. (Psychiatry), National University of Singapore, PGDipForensicPsych (Merit)(London), is a consultant forensic psychiatrist attached to the Department of Forensic Psychiatry at the Institute of Mental Health and Woodbridge Hospital. Dr Phang has been involved in the assessment and management of mentally disordered offenders charged with committing various offences, including serious crimes like murder and rape. He has regularly appeared at both High and Subordinate Courts in his capacity as expert witness and state forensic psychiatrist. In between his busy schedule, Dr Phang, who has a keen interest in developing the discipline of forensic psychiatry in Singapore,

regularly mentors junior psychiatrists and trainees.

Professor Ross Homel, PhD (Behavioural Science), Macquarie University, is Foundation Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia, and Director of the Key Centre for Ethics, Law, Justice and Governance. Professor Homel’s career focus is on the theoretical analysis of crime and associated problems such as violence, child abuse, injury, substance abuse and corruption, and the prevention of these problems through the application of the scientific method to problem analysis and the development, implementation and evaluation of interventions. He is particularly interested in prevention projects implemented through community development methods at the local level, and is co-director of a large early intervention project in a disadvantaged area of Brisbane (the Pathways to Prevention Project).

Dr. Dennis Sing-wing Wong received social work undergraduate training in the early 1980s, and is currently a Registered Social Worker. Thereafter, he obtained M.A. in Social Policy (York, UK) and Ph.D. in Social Work (Bristol, UK). From 1984 to 1989, he worked as a social worker in the fields of youth work, outreaching and residential services for delinquents. He then joined the Department of Applied Social Studies of City University of Hong Kong in 1989 as a lecturer and is currently an Associate Professor in Social Work and Criminology. Over the past twenty years, he has been involved in many large-scale studies commissioned by governmental and non-governmental organisations. His research interests include juvenile delinquency, offender rehabilitation, restorative justice and school bullying.

Associate Professor Altschuler is Principal Research Scientist at The Johns Hopkins Institute for Policy Studies, Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Mental Health of the Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Adjunct Associate Professor in Sociology. He also is on the faculty of the Johns Hopkins Center for the Prevention of Youth Violence. Dr. Altschuler has a doctorate in social service administration and a master’s degree in urban studies from The University of Chicago. His work focuses on juvenile crime and justice system sanctioning, juvenile aftercare and parole, offender reentry, privatisation in juvenile corrections, and drug involvement and crime among inner-city youth.

Alan was studying at the Nanyang Polytechnic when he was arrested for the offence. He committed the crime out of his desire to earn easy money. Coming from a single parent family background, the father was struggling to make ends meet. Alan had to work part-time to support himself through Polytechnic. Shaken by the Court experience, Alan was committed to mend his ways. Other than his risk taking tendencies, his issues also included undesirable peers and late night activities. In addition, he shared a distant relationship with his father. Alan was receptive to the advice from the probation officer and took initiative to change for the better. Through a series of targeted programmes, Alan learnt to cope with his studies, employment and improved his relationship with his father and girlfriend. With guidance from the probation officer and support from the school counsellor, he completed Polytechnic education with a Diploma in Engineering Information in 2005 before he was enlisted into National Service.

Alan is currently an insurance agent who intends to work hard, save up and pursue a degree in business management next year.

The Guidance Programme (GP) is a 6-month pre-court diversionary programme for young offenders who have been arrested for petty offences. They could be let off with a stern warning if they complete the programme successfully in lieu of court prosecution. It was developed in response to the recommendation by the Inter-Ministry Committee on Dysfunctional Families, Juvenile Delinquency and Drug Abuse (IMC) in 1997 to address rising juvenile crime rate.

The GP was put in place in October 1997 with the aim of providing a counselling and rehabilitative programme for youth offenders. Specifically, the programme aims to have the youth:

a) recognise the offence as a criminal act

b) make a decision to help himself not to commit an offence again

c) be committed to work on his ability to manage his vulnerability to commit future offences

d) be empowered with increased life skills, social skills and enhanced self-esteem

e) be connected to his family and/or significant others

- Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC)

- Singapore Police Force (SPF)

- Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS)

- Social Service Agencies (SSAs). There are currently 17 centres running the programme.

- Schools

Youths placed on GP would be referred to one of the SSAs appointed by MCYS to conduct the programme. They participate in a variety of activities including

- individual counselling

- family counselling

- groupwork

- community service

- educational visits (visits to Drug Rehabilitation Centres, Prisons)

- outdoor activities

Their parents are also encouraged to participate in parents’ support group and attend parenting talks.

Towards the end of the 6-month programme, the social worker will assess the youth’s overall progress and make an appropriate recommendation to the Police Investigation Officer. Depending on the risks and needs of the youth, the programme may be extended for up to six months. The youth, if he completes the programme successfully, may be let off with a stern Police warning in lieu of prosecution.

Prior to the implementation of the programme, about one in three young offenders who were let off with a stern Police warning returned to crime within two years

The Ministry’s after-conduct study in 2007 to evaluate the effectiveness of GP showed that for the cohort of GP youths discharged in 2003, only 8.7% reoffended within three years upon successful completion of the programme.

In addition to reducing the re-offending rate, GP has also made a positive impact on many aspects of youths’ lives – including their family, school and social life.

To date, over 6000 youths have been placed on the GP.

With the success of GP for juveniles (i.e below 16 years old), ‘GP Plus’ was introduced in 2003 to extend the programme to offenders in the 16 to 19 age group and currently, it constitutes about 30% of the referrals. GP Plus recognises that offenders may be entering a different phase of their lives, such as entering the workforce or moving on to tertiary education. The programme is hence tailored accordingly to meet the offender’s individual needs.

In 2006, a pilot on extending GP to intellectually disabled (GP-ID) young offenders was introduced. Instead of charging them in Court or letting them off with a stern police warning, these offenders are placed on GP-ID to reduce their risk of re-offending and to teach them positive life skills. The involvement of the family is particularly important. Through interviews with the youths and parents, the cognitive, social, emotional and motivational needs of the ID youth offender are assessed by the caseworker and the programme is then tailored accordingly.

Students Care Service is one of the pioneer agencies involved in the implementation of the Guidance Programme (GP) since it started in 1997. To date, more than 1600 young offenders have attended GP at their 3 centres located at Clementi, Hougang and Yishun.

Students Care Service have initiated various programmes, backed by their research, to complement the counselling that GP youths received, such as the C.H.O.I.C.E groupwork which is featured in today’s conference. The groupwork sessions are designed to be experiential and interesting, with an emphasis on the concept of “C.O.O.L” or Consequences and Others-Oriented Learning.

Care Corner Family Service Centre (Admiralty) came on board GP in 2004 and more than 400 youths have undergone the programme at their centre. Through counselling and a series of activities, the programme aims to help youths break their offence cycle, guide them to set goals to make positive changes in their lives, improve the relationship with their parents and equip them with useful life skills such as anger management, time management, decision making and problem solving.

The centre also organises community service projects where GP youths are involved in the planning and execution of these projects to help the community.

Outdoor activities such as trekking at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve were also organised. Through experiential learning, offenders learn about teamwork, problem solving and perseverance in the face of adversity.