International Cooperation

Explore SPS's engagements, participation, partnerships and collaboration with international counterparts.

Last updated on 17 September 2026

International Conferences

Singapore Prison Service (SPS) has regular engagements with international counterparts that provide opportunities to share latest correctional capabilities and learn from other correctional jurisdictions. These knowledge exchanges enable SPS to sharpen our capabilities for better correctional outcomes and organisational results.

Participants pose together on stage at the closing ceremony of the International Correctional Leadership Programme (ICLP) and Asian Prisons Lockdown Challenge (APLC). Several hold certificates, while others give thumbs-up gestures. A backdrop displays the event name and organisational logos, with photographs projected on screens on either side. Colourful plants line the front of the stage.

The International Correctional Leadership Programme (ICLP) is the first-of-its-kind in the APAC region with the objective to foster networking and collaboration among the correctional leaders in the region.

The programme was inaugurated in 2023 with the second run held in 2025. The 2025 programme hosted 27 participants from across 14 countries and jurisdictions.

SPS participates actively in various international correctional associations, such as the Asian and Pacific Conference of Correctional Administrators (opens in new tab) and the International Corrections and Prisons Association. (opens in new tab)

A large group of formally dressed individuals at the APCCA opening ceremony, standing and seated, with flags in the background.

The Asian and Pacific Conference of Correctional Administrators (APCCA) is a forum for government officials responsible for prison or correctional administration in the Asia Pacific region.

The International Corrections and Prisons Association (ICPA) brings together government agencies, academic groups, non-government organisations and private sector service providers.

In September 2024, SPS hosted the ICPA Annual Conference, themed ‘Enabling Desistance: Beyond Recidivism’. More than 800 correctional practitioners and community partners from over 70 jurisdictions participated in the conference.

Through APCCA and ICPA, SPS shares its experiences in corrections, spanning across operations, staff training, as well as rehabilitation and reintegration.

Since 2002, SPS has served as the APCCA Joint-Secretariat with Hong Kong Correctional Services Department.

In 2017, then Commissioner of Prisons, Mr Desmond Chin was elected to sit on the ICPA Board of Directors serving until his retirement from SPS in 2020. Then Commissioner of Prisons, Ms Shie Yong Lee was elected to the Board in October 2020 for a four-year term.

Apart from these correctional conferences, SPS is also involved in key events organised by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (opens in new tab)(UNODC). Since 2016, at UNODC's invitation, SPS has contributed to various Expert Group Meetings and provided inputs for handbooks covering topics from prison management to rehabilitation.

In 2018, SPS and UNODC jointly organised a training workshop on correctional rehabilitation for 63 participants from various correctional administrations across 16 countries in Asia Pacific.

The Inaugural Evidence-Informed Drug Rehabilitation and Prevention Workshop brought 26 participants from 14 countries together to learn about SPS’s evidence-informed throughcare approach, drug treatment, rehabilitation, and aftercare strategies through site visits and expert sharing sessions.

The workshop was organised in conjunction with Asia-Pacific Forum Against Drugs, where participants gained practical insights into drug rehabilitation strategies and prevention programmes and participated in CNB’s Drug Remembrance Day.

In 2021, SPS and Yellow Ribbon Singapore (opens in new tab) organised a virtual event at the 64^th United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs, titled 'Inspiring Community Action in the Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Offenders'. It was attended by over 125 international and local participants.

Asian Prisons Lockdown Challenge

SPS initiated the biennial Asian Prisons Lockdown Challenge (APLC), a tactical competition for correctional services in the Asia Pacific region to exchange best practices in the field of operational knowledge and tactical skills.

The APLC is the first of its kind in the Asia Pacific region, encompassing competition segments that test participants’ tactical know-how through a series of mentally and physically challenging scenarios.

Concurrent tactical workshops helmed by professional trainers are also conducted during the event to share with participants the latest developments in tactical response within correctional settings.

Since its inauguration in 2010, the participation in APLC has grown from 3 countries to 8 specialist teams of 64 participants in 2025.

Yellow Ribbon Project’s International Footprints

SPS has shared the Yellow Ribbon Project (opens in new tab) at various international forums as an approach to encouraging community acceptance and support for the rehabilitation and reintegration of ex-offenders.

The Yellow Ribbon Project has also inspired initiatives in other jurisdictions. Organisations in countries such as the Republic of Fiji and the Czech Republic, have been inspired and adapted their brands of the Yellow Ribbon Project for their local contexts.