Nurse says Singapore model way to go

THE BARBADOS PRISON SERVICE plans to adopt a Singapore model of rehabilitation for inmates.

That was one of a number of best practices that Superintendent of Prisons Lieutenant Colonel John Nurse said they planned to look into after the closing of the 11th annual general meeting and conference of the International Corrections and Prisons Association (ICPA) at Hilton Barbados.

"In discussing our community outreach programme, the yellow ribbon project is something very similar which incapsulates a number of points we would like to address in our own community outreach project so we are looking at it very seriously and see what aspects of it we can incorporate and copy and put into a Barbadian context and we will be using those.

In Singapore, the government initiated an annual Yellow Ribbon campaign to promote giving ex-convicts a second chance in society. Typically, a person shows his support for ex-convicts by pinning a yellow ribbon on his shirt during the annual campaign held in September.

"The whole notion is getting the community more involved in the reception of prisoners into the community. There was a component where the family had a more direct input in the work of the prisoner and therefore when it came to the period just before release, they were able then to transition that prisoner into their home and back into the community.

He noted that the Barbados Prison Service would like to see family ties remain strong so that when inmates are released from prison, there was some person or some solid mechanism for them to go back to which would help them to get stronger and remain on the path of positive citizenship.