Debated in Parliament on 3 Nov 2014.
Mr Ang Wei Neng asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs how successful is the Community Outreach Project (COP) in helping offenders' family members secure employment.
The Community Outreach Project was first launched in September 2010. Now known as the Yellow Ribbon Community Project (YRCP), it helps inmates focus on their rehabilitation, by providing their families with support and assistance during the incarceration period. By helping families stay intact, the YRCP also facilitates the inmate's rehabilitation as family support is critical when the inmate is eventually released.
With the inmate's consent, YRCP volunteers visit the inmate's family, extend a hand of friendship and see if any help is needed. If so, the volunteers will link them up with existing community resources and refer them to the relevant agencies. If a family member requests help to look for a job, the volunteers will refer them to relevant agencies, such as the Social Service Offices and the Community Development Councils. Where possible, they will leverage on resources, schemes and programmes already available in the community rather than start new ones.
The YRCP has grown from eight participating grassroots divisions in 2010 to 63 divisions today. The number of trained YRCP grassroots volunteers has grown from 26 in 2010 to 620 in 2014. These volunteers have, to date, reached out to more than 2,100 families.
To conclude, many inmates and their families have benefited from the YRCP. However, I would like to emphasise the importance of individual responsibility. Ultimately, the success of YRCP depends on the commitment and spirit of self-reliance from the inmate and his family.
PAPERCUTS