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66 inmates with Covid-19 housed in Selarang Park Complex quarantine centre

aseanpr
3 minutes

SINGAPORE - There are 66 inmates with Covid-19 at a quarantine centre in Selarang Park Complex as at Nov 18, the Singapore Prison Service (SPS) told The Straits Times on Friday (Nov 19). In response to queries from ST, SPS said that some inmates across all prison facilities who test positive for the virus are taken to the centre, which began operating in April last year. SPS said: "In general, asymptomatic inmates who are housed together with other inmates within a shared cell will be sent to the Quarantine Centre. "SPS does allow inmates who are housed in single cells to remain in their own cells when recovering from Covid-19 as they will not come into contact with other inmates during their quarantine, unlike inmates from non-single cells." The decision to transfer inmates who test positive for Covid-19 to the Quarantine Centre - which can house up to 120 inmates - is made in consultation with a prison medical officer, SPS added. On Nov 11, ST reported that there were 169 inmates with Covid-19. Of that number, 116 were from Institution A1, including inmates on death row. As these inmates are housed in single-occupancy cells, they can be quarantined within the institution itself, ...

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‘We played football with inmates’: Former prison officer, as Singapore Prison Service marks 75 years

aseanpr
1 minute

SINGAPORE - When Mr A. Muthucumarasamy was a prison officer in the 1970s, he played football with inmates and even started music bands for them. Those activities fostered bonds between inmates and distracted them from their gang affiliations, he said. Please subscribe or log in to continue reading the full article. Get unlimited access to all stories at $0.99/month Latest headlines and exclusive stories In-depth analyses and award-winning multimedia content Get access to all with our no-contract promotional package at only $0.99/month for the first 3 months* Subscribe now *Terms and conditions apply.

SeaPRwire

CPF team goes the extra mile to help death row inmates make nominations

elean
2 minutes

SINGAPORE - Inmates on death row who wish to make their Central Provident Fund (CPF) nominations may sometimes have trouble finding witnesses to complete the process. This is where Mr Hendry Ang, 28, and his colleagues come in. A CPF nomination allows a person to specify who will receive his or her CPF savings, and how much each nominee should get after the person's death. Mr Ang, a manager in the CPF Board's nominations and accounts closure department, said these death row inmates want to do something for their loved ones, but are unable to find two witnesses for the nomination. Each year, his team assists about three inmates on average, including those on death row, to make CPF nominations. CPF statistics show that about three in four members who died last year had specified a recipient for their CPF savings. About 78 per cent of the 21,010 CPF members who died last year made a nomination. This is an increase compared with 2019, when 75 per cent of the 21,050 members who died made nominations. If a member fails to make a nomination before death, the CPF savings will be transferred to the Public Trustee's Office to be distributed in cash to family members according to Singapore's ...

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5,000 inmates, staff, vendors and volunteers to be tested for Covid-19 at Changi Prison

aseanpr
3 minutes

SINGAPORE - The Singapore Prison Service (SPS) will be testing about 5,000 inmates, staff, vendors and volunteers over the next few days after a chef working in the prison kitchen at Changi Prison Complex tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday (May 13). In a statement released on Saturday, SPS said inmate activities, including rehabilitation programmes, will be suspended to facilitate the testing. It also said that vendors and volunteers who are affected by the temporary suspension of activities will be notified. SPS said it would cease face-to-face and tele-visits and replace all inmates' visits with phone calls from May 17 until further notice. The decision comes on the heels of the Ministry of Health's (MOH) announcement on Friday on the tightening of measures in the community to reduce the risk of Covid-19 transmission. Families who have already booked their visits will have them automatically converted to phone calls. In addition to phone calls, inmates are still able to communicate with their families through e-letters. "These are important, preventive steps taken by SPS, for the safety of our inmates and their families, staff and partners, and they complement existing meas...

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Facial recognition tech in Selarang Park Complex facilitates inmates’ movement

aseanpr
4 minutes

SINGAPORE - Unlike what is standard procedure for those imprisoned elsewhere in Singapore, inmates at the Selarang Park Complex need not be escorted by prison officers to access several areas in it. For example, they only have to scan their wrist tags and faces at turnstiles located between two of the complex's facilities before they are allowed through. This is possible due to extensive closed-circuit television (CCTV) coverage of the facilities and the use of facial recognition technology. Selarang Park Complex, which was officially opened on Thursday (April 22), became fully operational in September last year. It comprises several facilities, including a Drug Rehabilitation Centre (DRC) for drug offenders. The complex is the first and currently the only prison site in the country to use facial recognition technology, said the Singapore Prison Service (SPS). DRC inmates go through psychology-based correctional programmes and skills training, as well as receive family support and religious services. The technology used in the complex is part of the SPS' "Prison Without Guards" strategy, which aims to boost operational efficiency and enable prison officers to focus on inmate rehabi...

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MHA refutes allegations by Australian national that he saw inmates being walked to execution

aseanpr
3 minutes

SINGAPORE - The Ministry of Home Affairs has refuted the allegations of an Australian national who said he suffered here while in remand for drug charges. Businessman Philip George Sceats gave an account of his time behind bars to Australian media, after he was granted a discharge not amounting to an acquittal for his drug charge last year. He said he was a "broken man" after close to a year behind bars, claiming to have seen 14 fellow inmates being "walked to their execution" - a fate he faced as he had been charged with importing cocaine. He also claimed that he was subjected to a strict regime under which inmates were caned "on the bare bum" if they did something wrong, and that his cell lights were never turned off. In response to queries from The Straits Times, MHA clarified on Sunday (Nov 1) that contrary to his assertions, Mr Sceats "was never housed together with inmates on death row". He was kept instead in a separate area meant for remanded persons at Changi Prison, said the ministry, which oversees the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) and Singapore Prison Service. The ministry also noted that the cells for those in remand are fitted with lights that are scheduled to automa...