Result of Drug Rehabilitation Centre Regime on Recalcitrant Rates in Past Two Years of Implementation
Ministry of Home AffairsSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns Mr Christopher de Souza’s inquiry on whether the Drug Rehabilitation Centre (DRC) regime has lowered recalcitrant rates among repeat drug offenders. Minister K Shanmugam stated that 2019 policy changes now channel third-time abusers to the DRC for rehabilitation and community-based programmes instead of long-term imprisonment. While official two-year recidivism data will only be available in 2023, early qualitative studies suggest the regime better supports family ties and societal reintegration. From 2019 to 2020, 1,759 repeat offenders were admitted to the DRC, with 654 having completed the in-care phase by December 2020. This regime employs a step-down approach, utilizing correctional programmes and employability training to facilitate successful reintegration.
Transcript
11 Mr Christopher de Souza asked the Minister for Home Affairs whether the Drug Rehabilitation Centre regime has resulted in lower recalcitrant rates in the past two years of implementation.
Mr K Shanmugam: In 2019, MHA introduced changes to strengthen the drug rehabilitation regime. Third and subsequent-time drug abusers who have not committed other concurrent offences are channelled to the Drug Rehabilitation Centre (DRC) for treatment and rehabilitation, instead of being charged in court and sentenced to long-term imprisonment (LT regime).
The DRC regime consists of an in-care phase and a community-based programme (CBP) phase. During the in-care phase, drug abusers go through programmes such as psychology-based correctional programmes, employability skills training, family programmes and religious programmes. They may then be emplaced on CBP and serve the remainder of their detention in the community under supervision, as part of a step-down approach to facilitate their reintegration into society.
The two-year recidivism rate — defined as the percentage of local inmates under the custody of Singapore Prison Service (SPS) who are subsequently detained or sentenced to either imprisonment or day reporting order within two years of release into the community — is a key measure of the effectiveness of SPS’ rehabilitation policies and programmes. The two-year period is widely used internationally as a benchmark for recidivism.
From January 2019 to December 2020, 3,985 drug abusers were admitted into DRC. And 1,759, or 44.1%, were third- or subsequent-time abusers. As at end-December 2020, 654 third- or subsequent-time drug abusers had completed their in-care phase and had been released into the community. The two-year recidivism rate for this group will only be available in 2023, as that is when they would have completed two full years in the community.
In the interim, there are some early indications that the 2019 changes support rehabilitation. Earlier this year, SPS conducted a qualitative study involving third- and subsequent-time drug abusers in the DRC. Participants who had previously undergone the LT regime reported that under the DRC regime, they are better able to maintain family ties and reintegrate back into society, compared to the previous times when they were incarcerated for long periods under the LT regime.