SINGAPORE: When Sandy ( never her real name ) was incarcerated in Changi Prison for medicine- related crimes, she had to give up her portable phone , – an iPhone 3.
It was the year 2013. TikTok was nonexistent, Instagram was only growing in popularity globally, and Telegram, a messaging software, had just been launched.
All this has remained mysterious to Sandy, who is serving a 20- year prison sentence. Additionally, serving time in jail means she does not have access to a laptop or the internet.
This changed nearly two years ago. She indicated her interest in working for a call center run by individuals like her, wanting to learn some knowledge for when she returns to the workplace.
It took her some day to re-establish her command of Microsoft Excel, sending emails, and also conversing with the general public.
She told CNA in an appointment last month that it taught her how to communicate with society before leaving and how to prepare for the long haul.
Sandy, then 36, expects to be released next season due to the typical one- next remission for good behavior.
” It made me have my own confidence that I can do it, I can live a better life” . ,
Sandy is one of the 35 to 40 woman inmates employed by a Changi Prison call center that provides marketing and call center services for different businesses in the public and private sectors, including consumer goods and care.
The call center at Institution A4 – Singapore’s even women’s prison – is run by social organization Agape Connecting Citizens, which has worked with Yellow Ribbon Singapore ( YRSG) since 2014.