Desmond (not his real name) is serving a 10-year sentence for a drug offence and learning new skills at Kaki Bukit Centre (Prison School) in the North East. He has learnt from his mistakes, but will society give him a second chance?
This is his plea.
“Have you ever been convicted in the Court of Law? If yes, please state the nature of your offence...”
I stare at the job application form and ponder my reply with a deep sense of confusion and fear. On the one hand, after spending the last 52,650 hours behind bars, I know nothing is worth lying for. The other is my 11-year-old son asking me to buy him a computer.
If I say “No” I would win myself a 50-50 chance of securing the job but backslide into my past – one filled with drugs and lies. If I say “Yes” I will face another month without funds. The desperation grows.
Although the above scenario may only be of one I’ve been role-playing in my mind, the concerns, however, are very real. Six years ago, I was sentenced to 10 years in prison for drug related offences. Initially, the pain was debilitating. I could not foresee how I was going to survive the ordeal – the loss of freedom coupled with not being able to hold my loved ones, sent me into depression. I was morose, withdrawn and at times even suicidal.
At the peak of my pain as I was spiralling downwards, a “net” caught me. It supported me and comforted me. When I was slightly better, it counselled me and gave me the freedom to choose my own spiritual nourishment. It further bolstered me by giving me the opportunity to study for my ‘O’ Levels and attend various other programmes to help me repair and strengthen the bonds between myself and my family.
This “net” is a complex and structured network of rehabilitative services, which the Singapore Prison Service employs to help inmates reform. The most prominent is the Yellow Ribbon Project, which reaches out to the public to garner support and awareness for ex-offenders returning to society.
As I write this article, I consider my circumstances and surroundings. The very fact that I am able to type this article is, in itself, an indication of the success of the rehabilitation programmes. When I first entered prison, I had a very basic literacy level.
So, why am I still feeling so petrified? The sad and discouraging fact is that some people still have preconceived notions about ex offenders. At best, it will be in the form of guarded reservations. At worst, it will be outright discrimination. This can be further aggravated by a small group of recalcitrant offenders who give the Yellow Ribbon Project a bad name.
And what happens when they say, “Sorry, because there is an overwhelming statistical possibility you might commit an offence again, we’ll just have to assume that you haven’t changed... just to err on the safe side.”
The statement may seem callous and unrealistically harsh. Yet, it is one of the reasons why ex-offenders face disadvantages when competing with others for jobs – in companies, financial institutions, schools or as taxi drivers and security guards.
Do I blame society? No, to be honest, if I had a daughter and she had chosen an ex-offender as her partner, I would have raised an eyebrow too.
What must change for society to lose its reservations and embrace talented ex-offenders earnestly waiting for a second chance? The answer is faith – the testimonies of inmates who have successfully rehabilitated, backed up and verified by their satisfied employers, and more importantly, by the magnanimity and grace of a society willing to accept one of its own back.
So, the next time you are sitting on the other end of a job interview and you see a ‘Yes’ in the criminal history column, take some time to understand the person. It might be me and I promise I’ll never make you regret your decision.
Kaki Bukit Centre (Prison School) is a prison under the Singapore Prison Service.
Is it a Yes or a No?
