Retribution .Incapacitation. Deterrence. Rehabilitation. Reparation.These are the 5 underlying justifications for criminal punishment.Singapore attempts to inculcate 4 of these philosophies when it comes to their prison system. We attempt retribution by depriving the convicts of their freedoms, essentially making them suffer to compensate for their crimes. At this point, you might be wondering, why are we still making these people suffer? As more mature and civilised creatures, we should be working on ways to improve these people. The simple reason is that we want people to believe in the system so that they would not take revenge on their own. The truth of the matter is as much as you want to decry it, revenge is justice. Most people will feel a need to be avenged when they have been wronged. Hence, by executing the punishment through the government we will at least be able to control the scope and degree making sure that he is punished for his crimes but also so that the victim will be placated.
Moving on, incapacitation because we are literally moving them away from society. Deterrence because we are hoping the harsh conditions and deprivation of freedoms will lead to people being scared to commit crimes. Rehabilitation. Upon admission to prison, offenders undergo assessment to determine their risks and needs. Based on their identified risks and needs, appropriate programmes are charted for intervention. The programmes include psychology-based correctional programmes, family programmes, skills training and religious services.Prior to their release, offenders will also undergo programmes to prepare them for reintegration into the community upon their release.
Recently, there was an uproar when CNA released their documentary, "Inside Maximum Security" which highlighted the living conditions of prisons where the prisoners are not allowed fans and are made to sleep on straw mats. While this may seem harsh there are pretty sound justifications, the deprivation of freedoms can be a particularly trying time for prisoners and that might make them irrationally attempt suicides or breakouts. This can be done by hiding contraband in the mattress as well as by hanging themselves from fans. There was also a lack of partition between living spaces and toilets hence stripping them of their privacy but at the end of the day, its a prison, there is an emphasis on security and monitoring and the importance of that cannot be refuted.
You might be wondering at this point? Are Singapore Prison's truly effective? Well, in short yes they are and they are definitely working to better themselves. The 2 year recidivism rate(the tendency for a criminal to reoffend) is at its lowest point of 25% while other first world countries are at 60% to 65%. This is the part where you bring up the 5 year recidivism rates and that it is 40% but the thing is the prison was never meant to reform someone that long. It sets them off on the right path but keeping to the path is outside of the prison capabilities. That part is up to the people's support network, something that the Singapore Prison Services is now looking into. Now it could be argued that its because Singapore is a smaller country and it is easier to manage and that's definitely true but the process also plays a significant role. We found the right process.Ok, maybe not the right process but it is working since the recidivism rate is dropping and that means that we are doing something right, hence, as long as we do not rest on our laurels nor do we lean to heavily towards either one of the 5 philosophies, well , maybe just maybe we might be making our way towards a more uplifting and sustaining society where we can pick up those who fall, making sure that no one slips through the cracks.
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