It was a weekday morning when I arrived at Rise Above Halfway House, a rehabilitative centre where inmates spend the last part of their prison sentence to help them reintegrate into society.
The front yard was empty. So I asked a couple of staff for Saleha Rashidi, the centre manager of Rise Above Halfway House, whom I had arranged to meet. I was quickly ushered into a large room where I was told to wait. There had been “an incident”, said the staff member. She would not elaborate further.
I waited for half an hour before Saleha arrived. When she came, she told me that a resident was being sent back to prison.
Sometimes, this happens when residents repeatedly flout rules such as curfews, or bring prohibited items such as cigarettes, lighters, sharp objects or drugs into the halfway house, she explained.
A Singapore Prison Service van is then sent to pick up the resident, and the halfway house goes into a short movement-freeze where residents are not allowed to move about freely during this time – this was what was taking place when I arrived at Rise Above Halfway House.
“This is to protect the dignity of the one sent back, so that it doesn’t become a show,” Saleha said.
Such events are stressful and demoralising for both residents and staff. But it happens from time to time among ex-offenders because change can be a rocky road, full of setbacks. Saleha’s job as centre manager of Rise Above Halfway House is to give ex-offenders the opportunity to try again.