On 31st August 2018, NUS Law Criminal Justice Club (CJC) hosted its annual flagship Criminal Justice Conference. This year’s topic centered on the rehabilitation of criminals and how sentencing in Singapore has evolved over the past decades. This year’s panel was an illustrious one, with diverse views and experiences.
The panelists included Professor Amirthalingam Kumaralingam and Associate Professor Ho Peng Kee of NUS, Mr Josephus Tan of Invictus Law Corporation, Ms Wong Ai Ai from the Yellow Ribbon Fund, Mr Lee Chin Soon from the Ministry of Social and Family Development, and Mr Kow Keng Siong of the Attorney-General’s Chambers.
The Mini-Lecture Series
The mini-lecture series kicked off with Professor Kumaralingam giving an overview of the crime control model that Singapore subscribes to, and the policy and philosophy underlying it. He brought the audience on a narrative journey through the existing rehabilitative strategies employed pre-trial to post-release. He went on to discuss diversionary programmes in Singapore, specifically those targeted at youths and the disabled. Professor Kumar then concluded his lecture by leaving his audience with two questions to ponder: “What is crime?†and “Who are criminals?â€.
A/P Ho carried on by examining the current rehabilitative landscape in Singapore. He argued that rehabilitative processes were currently holistic, comprehensive and sustainable. As he shared, he believes that Singapore’s rehabilitative landscape has ample programmes that cater towards the varying needs for rehabilitation of criminals. From his perspective, a lot was already being done, but it was the responsibility of ex-offenders to make the best use of those opportunities.
Mr Kow Keng Siong then proceeded to weigh in on the issue, addressing common misconceptions on rehabilitation. He identified some principles and refuted other misconceptions, namely that:
- Rehabilitation should always be the first sentencing consideration.
- All offenders can be rehabilitated.
- Rehabilitation is suitable for all types of crimes.
- The Prosecution should not prosecute when there is strong rehabilitative potential.
- Rehabilitation can take place in prisons.
When speaking on the misconceptions, Mr Koh asked the audience to ponder the question of what the attitudes of fellow Singaporeans like with regards to punishment and rehabilitation.
Next up was Mr Josephus Tan, who gave a contrasting perspective on the issue. As a practicing criminal defence lawyer, Mr Tan provided valuable first-hand accounts on criminal justice and rehabilitation.  Citing examples of mentally impaired offenders and juveniles, Mr Tan argued that it was  difficult to ensure that real legislative intent has practical benefits when it comes to rehabilitation.
In her capacity as Chairman of the Yellow Ribbon Project, Mrs Wong shared her perspective on rehabilitation. She elaborated on key programmes in the Yellow Ribbon and shared her insights on how those programmes operate in tandem with existing government initiatives. She highlighted how the Yellow Ribbon’s programmes aim to provide assistance to both offenders and those they interact with, like family members.
To close off the lecture, the microphone was passed to Mr Lee Chin Soon from the Ministry of Social and Family Development, who provided a comprehensive explanation on the reintegration of ex-offenders into society, and the importance of their family and surrounding community in the reintegration process.
The mini-lecture series was followed by an engaging question-and-answer session. Many interesting queries were raised to the panellists, including questions on how we should treat mentally disabled offenders, how we should ensure the number of ‘technical criminals’ goes down, and how we should improve rehabilitative efforts in Singapore. The panellists also shared their personal perspectives on how they envisioned rehabilitation in Singapore in the future.