Singapore Prison Service Inmate's Daily Allowance for Full-time Work and Post-release Housing Affordability
Ministry of Home AffairsSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the average daily allowance for inmates in full-time work and its correlation with HDB downpayments, as raised by Mr Victor Lye. Minister K Shanmugam stated that allowances are reviewed periodically, but the prison regime remains intentionally austere to serve the purposes of punishment and deterrence. He clarified that work programmes aim to inculcate positive work ethics and enhance employability rather than providing financial remuneration for asset accumulation. Minister K Shanmugam highlighted that Yellow Ribbon Singapore assists inmates with skills training and job matching to support their transition into the workforce before release. He concluded that the costs of housing and rehabilitating inmates far exceed potential external salaries, noting that prison earnings do not correlate with housing affordability.
Transcript
34 Mr Victor Lye asked the Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs (a) what is the average daily allowance for inmates engaged in full-time work within the Singapore Prison Service; and (b) how does this correlate with the minimum savings required for a downpayment on a 2-room or 3-room HDB flat upon release.
Mr K Shanmugam: A similar question was answered in this House in 2022. [Please refer to "Average Wage Earned by Prison Inmates Per Hour of Work in Prison Jobs in Past Three Years and Plans for Wage Framework", Official Report, 8 March 2022, Vol 95, Issue 56, Written Answers to Questions section.]
The allowance is reviewed periodically.
Imprisonment serves the purposes of punishment, deterrence and to prevent the offender from causing further harm to society. Hence, the prison regime and conditions are kept intentionally austere.
That said, the sentence should also encourage the rehabilitation of the offender. The Singapore Prison Service has taken a progressive approach, such as through work programmes. The objectives of these work programmes are to: (a) keep inmates gainfully engaged; (b) inculcate positive work ethics – this is necessary, as a key reason why many relapse is that they cannot keep a job and drift into crime; and (c) equip them with useful skills that would enhance their employability upon release.
The primary purpose of work programmes in prison is not financial remuneration. Earnings from such programmes have no co-relation to the accumulation of assets, such as a HDB flat. Making it financially remunerative would defeat some of the purposes of imprisonment.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has also shared at various platforms on how Yellow Ribbon Singapore (YRSG) provides skills training and assists inmates in securing jobs before their release.1 For example, YRSG provides job matching and career coaching services for inmates, ensuring that they are matched to suitable jobs based on their skills and interests. YRSG may also assign a career coach to provide support on work-related issues for up to 12 months after release.
All in, the cost of housing, training, and running programmes aimed at rehabilitating an inmate far exceed a salary such an inmate would earn outside prison in a full-time job.