Honouring Community Partnership 2022

Honouring Community Partnership – SPS Volunteer Awards 2022 and Yellow Ribbon Community Project Awards and Appreciation Luncheon 2022

SINGAPORE, 19 November 2022 – The Singapore Prison Service (SPS) honoured volunteers and organisations for their dedication towards the rehabilitation and reintegration of inmates and ex-offenders at two volunteer appreciation events – the SPS Volunteer Awards 2022 event and the Yellow Ribbon Community Project (YRCP) Awards and Appreciation Luncheon held on 18 and 19 November 2022 respectively.

Appreciating SPS Volunteers (18 November): The SPS Volunteer Awards recognises SPS’s volunteers and partnering organisations, whose dedication and contributions have made a positive and lasting impact on the lives of the inmates, ex-offenders and their families. To date, more than 50 organisations render their support and assistance via a diverse range of programmes and initiatives, such as religious counselling, mentoring programmes and family-focused initiatives. When inmates are released into the community, the volunteers continue to provide their companionship, guidance and counsel as part of SPS’s strategy to strengthen prosocial throughcare support for inmates and ex-offenders, to prevent re-offending. The SPS Volunteer Awards 2022 was graced by Associate Professor Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of National Development.

Appreciating SPS’s YRCP Grassroots Volunteers (19 November): The YRCP is a grassroots- driven initiative which provides support to families who are affected by the incarceration of their loved ones. SPS taps on grassroots networks to support families of inmates serving their sentences, as the incarceration of a loved one can put significant strain on family members. Challenges faced by such families include financial difficulties, especially if the incarceration involves the sole breadwinner, and the lack of proper supervision for children, especially when the main caregiver is serving a sentence. Grassroots volunteers from the YRCP provide such families with support. Through the YRCP, inmates can focus better on their rehabilitation journey, knowing that their families are supported by the community. The YRCP Awards and Appreciation Luncheon 2022 was graced by Mr Masagos Zulkifli, Minister for Social and Family Development, Second Minister for Health & Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs.

“We are heartened to have the support of more than 4,000 volunteers from various segments of society. Inmates, ex-offenders and their families face a wide range of challenges, and the community’s partnership is crucial to complement the rehabilitation and reintegration work by SPS and Yellow Ribbon Singapore. Whether it is the expansion of existing volunteer-led programmes in prison, or even just one more grassroots volunteer looking out for his neighbour, every bit of effort goes a long way. We look forward to deepening our collaborations with the community, towards supporting the long-term desistance of ex-offenders and building a stronger society,” said Superintendent Ong Choon Yong, Senior Assistant Director of the Community Partnership & Family Policy Branch, Rehabilitation and Reintegration Division at SPS.