Support for Incarcerated Singaporeans to Help Dependants Seek Assistance

Ms Yeo Wan Ling asked the Minister for Home Affairs what social support and assistance for seeking legal recourse is accessible to incarcerated Singaporeans to help a member of their family or dependant in need of community assistance, legal intervention or intervention from Government agencies.

Sir, inmates may raise concerns about their family's needs during their regular interviews with Prison Officers, who will refer these cases to the Singapore Prison Service's (SPS') Family Resource Centres (FRCs). Family members may also approach the FRCs directly, which are located at the Prison Link Centre where family members go to visit the inmates. FRCs will work with the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) and community partners to look into the inmates' requests.

In addition, inmates with children below 21 years old and elderly dependants above 60 years old are proactively identified by SPS under the Early Triaging Process upon their admission into prison. With the inmate's consent, trained social workers from SPS' FRCs will assess the family's needs and refer them to appropriate community resources. As for inmates who join the Yellow Ribbon Community Project, grassroots volunteers will engage their family members to offer befriending support and link them to community resources.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I have had residents who were due to be incarcerated who came to me, or if they were already incarcerated through their family members, concerned about their family or loved ones. Sometimes, it was about an unsettled child or a senior to whom they are caregivers to, or sometimes it is about who they can approach should they wish to find out more about how their loved ones or families are doing on the outside.

At times, my residents tell me that they have no other persons that they can trust on the outside to help check in on their dependants' well-being. In such cases, how can prison services provide a peace of mind to our prison mates if they have no larger support structure? If they suspect that their loved ones may have fallen victim to a crime, is the process of reporting their suspicions with a view to an investigation, a clearly communicated one to them, and understood within the prison systems?

Sir, I thank the Member for the supplementary question. We share her concerns and we understand there is always anxiety and a feeling of how their loved ones will be able to take it in terms of the incarceration, and those who are outside, particularly children, seniors and so forth.

Over the years, we have strengthened the ecosystem of care. For example, the FRCs, we have been able to strengthen it and we work with MSF regularly in a very deep manner. We make referrals and we work with the stakeholders to see how we can support those who are inside, and as well as their loved ones. And I must share that today, there are many more avenues. Even if the inmates may not be comfortable raising it within the prison, the family members are able to reach out to the various community organisations and the support given.

For me, I have been very fortunate to be able to work with the community organisations who have been very proactive. Sometimes, we know of some issues, we try our best to reach out to them, even when the inmates have given the permission to reach out through the Yellow Ribbon project. In order to reach to the families, it may not be easy, but the stakeholders continue to engage day by day, sometimes, we make many calls – all with the purpose of caring for fellow Singaporeans.

So, I want to assure the Member that we will continue to strengthen this ecosystem and at the same time, whenever there is any one suspecting that their loved ones outside, who may be affected, like being a victim to a crime, they can approach any of the community partners, they can also go to the local Police set-up and we will work together whenever we get any information, so that we protect each of us here in Singapore.