Singapore Prison Case Study

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Should youth who committed serious crimes be jailed like adult criminals? We acknowledged the fact that Singaporeans age below eighteen are ineligible to vote, drive, own properties, smoke and consume alcohol. Furthermore, our local film rating classify M18 as “Mature” 18. Singapore has imposed the law that the minimum age for death penalty is eighteen years. The Government and experts had already considered that a person under the age of eighteen is still immature, dependent and requires adult supervision, therefore it seemed apparent that youth should not be punished like an adult criminal (Ho, 2015). When a youth is charged in a Juvenile Court for committed serious crimes, the presiding judge will perform the unenviable task of balancing …show more content…
One of the aims of this boot camp, which is regimental in nature, is to inculcate discipline to all inmates (Teh, 2009). Young offenders must serve between eighteen to thirty-six months in RTC. The training consists of both residential and supervision phase. Upon admission, each youth are subjected to a fortnight of solitary confinement within a small cell. It is an important period for them to self-reflect and adjust to the change in environment. Inmate movement will be restricted and separated from older convicts to reduce the likelihood of bad influences. Subsequently they will undergo a stringent and tough regime which consist of foot drills, counselling and religious guidance. Their freedom will be lost and had to follow a strict schedule every day. There are other programmes (Sayadi, 2012) within RTC which instills discipline as well. One of them is the Gang Renunciation Programme where inmates are encouraged to renounce their gang involvement in the presence of fellow inmates and prison officers. Another is the Tattoo Removal Project which aims to help former gang member turn over a new leaf by removing any gang insignia on their bodies. After discharging from RTC, the youth will be placed under close supervision and their movements will be tracked by electronic devices attached to their ankles. Breaching of any conditions set forth by the supervisor will result in an additional six …show more content…
Should the justice system sentence youth who committed serious crimes to adult prison, they will likely to return to society as hardened criminals. Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon (Todayonline.com, 2015) described adult jail as a “potentially unsettling influence” environment for the young offenders. I believed that the young offenders will benefit from the reformative training programme as it inculcates discipline and help them to reintegrate into the society. Society will also benefit from lower crime rates and a safer place to reside

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