Faishal said the country’s prisons have shifted from traditional incarceration to a “throughcare” model that supports inmates both during and after imprisonment.

“Maybe 10, 15 years ago, we would have about 9,000 inmates per year, but today it is 3,000 inmates.

“In the past, it was more like prisons, you lock and open the gate, you go in, but today our programmes are more to the rehabilitative and reintegration approach,” he said during a chat session with Malaysian journalists.

Singapore’s in-care inmate numbers dropped from 9,242 in 2020 to 7,660 in 2022, but picked up slightly to 8,336 in 2024, a year which also saw 2,498 offenders undergoing community corrections.

Faishal, also the acting minister-in-charge of Muslim affairs, said mosques, temples, churches and various community groups play a crucial role in prisoner rehabilitation.

“Within the prison, we have community partners who come and engage the prisoners, the inmates. Every time they have programmes, they are on route to becoming a better person when they are in prison,” he said.

He said one of his key initiatives was forming a rehabilitation network made up of religious and community organisations that work directly with the home affairs ministry and the Singapore Prison Service.

“We don’t only work with the Muslim community. We also work with churches, temples, Buddhist groups, and so forth,” he said.

 Jobs ready for ex-inmates

Faishal said companies hiring ex-inmates receive government grants, with thousands participating to support rehabilitation.

Inmates are also enrolled in the Yellow Ribbon Project, where job coaches connect them with employers, he said.

“It has progressed well, but we want to do more, especially to prevent re-offending,” he said, adding that the government wants to make sure they stay longer in jobs or try to find opportunities to progress their careers.