SINGAPORE - People from minority races are disproportionately represented in Singapore's prison inmate population as well as crime statistics, and the Government is careful about disclosing the racial composition of such figures as it might further entrench stereotypes.
Making this point in Parliament on Monday (July 4), Minister for Home Affairs and Law K. Shanmugam said that releasing certain data can adversely impact the community and society.
Mr Shanmugam was responding to a question by Mr Christopher de Souza (Holland-Bukit Timah GRC), who had asked for the reasons for not publicly disclosing the racial breakdown of the prison inmate population and criminal offenders.
Speaking generally, he said there have been points made on overcrowding, the long periods of time inmates spend in their cells and the fact they sleep on straw mats.
He also highlighted points raised involving the case of David James Roach, a Canadian who had been extradited from Britain in 2020 for the Standard Chartered Bank robbery here in 2016. It had been claimed Singapore's prison conditions would violate his human rights.
An expert witness had cited the lack of partition between living and eating spaces in cells, describing it as effectively eating in the toilet and a lack of privacy when inmates used the toilet.
Mr Shanmugam said the UK courts found that while the conditions of Singapore's prisons were not ideal, the defence counsel representing Roach had failed to show Roach was at real risk of a breach of his rights.
Mr Shanmugam said Singapore's prison regime and prison environment are austere, intentionally so with a lot of emphasis on security and monitoring, so our officers know what is going on.
"This is because you get situations where inmates might try to do a lot of harm to themselves, get contraband, create security situations and other similar issues," he said.
The minister said Singapore has maximised its use of land amid scarcity, with land area taken up by the Changi Prison Complex built in the early 2000s, and drug rehabilitation centres.
Said Mr Shanmugam: "This is the footprint that we have. If we want to change it, a huge amount of money will have to be spent, probably running into billions of dollars, with more land taken. And whether that should be done depends on our assessment of the current conditions.
"Our assessment is that the conditions are acceptable, and fits in with our philosophy of how prisons ought to be. The essential needs of our inmates are also met."
Mr Shanmugam said that based on the Government's standards and assessments, there was no overcrowding in Singapore's prisons, which are operating at about 70 per cent.
He said overcrowding was an issue in prisons in several other countries, and cited a report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime which states that "of the 100 countries and territories for which it had data on, nearly half - 47 per cent - were operating at more than 100 per cent of the intended capacity".
He said overcrowding was an issue in prisons in several other countries, and cited a report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime which states that 47 per cent out of 100 countries were operating at more than 100 per cent capacity.
But he asked for care when making comparisons between countries.
Prisons in (clockwise from top left) Singapore, Norway, Denmark, the Philippines, Thailand and Hong Kong
Describing cell conditions, Mr Shanmugam said all cells have toilet facilities in them and do not have fans but natural and mechanical ventilation instead.
This is because mounted fans could pose a security risk and act as potential anchor points for suicide. They could also be dismantled, with the parts potentially used as weapons.
Inmates sleep on a straw mat and two blankets instead of beds which are given only to inmates who require additional care - due to old age or mobility issues, for example.
This sleeping arrangement minimises security risks, preventing inmates from hiding contraband items in the cells, said Mr Shanmugam, adding that mattresses for inmates are not ideal, generally due to hygiene issues.
Inmates are given three meals daily which are planned based on a dietitian's recommendation to meet nutritional requirements.
While it is Singapore's philosophy to keep the regime strict and austere, Mr Shanmugam said it was important to look at other factors like the recidivism rate and assault rate, in addition to prison conditions.
He said Singapore's two-year recidivism rates have remained low and stable, with the latest recidivism rate for the 2019 release cohort at 20 per cent, the lowest in the last 30 years.
The assault rate per 10,000 inmates - around 47 since 2019 - is low compared to other countries, he said.
Mr Shanmugam also said that in some countries there is a hierarchy among the inmates, where some inmates are allowed to exercise control over other inmates and gangs of inmates are also often allowed to exert their power.
He said: "In Singapore, the position is quite different. Our prisons officers run our prisons, not gangs.
"Prisons are run in a fair and disciplined manner. We have a zero-tolerance stance towards gang-related activities. Assault rates between inmates are much lower.
"We try and maintain safety, order and discipline in our prisons. We want our inmates to be focused on rehab and turning their lives around, without having to live in constant fear for their personal safety."
https://www.straitstimes.com/singap...s-and-mattresses-for-safety-reasons-shanmugam
