SINGAPORE: Mr Jonathan Ng’s life took a turn for the worse four years ago when he was caught for unlicensed money lending, and was handed a hefty jail sentence.
While serving time, Mr Ng was always worried about the future.
“When I first stepped into prison, the phobia was there. What would my job opportunities be like after release? ” he recalled.
Now 28, Mr Ng works as a supervisor at popular restaurant chain, Swensen’s. He told Channel NewsAsia that he is grateful to be part of a supportive team, which has become his greatest support system.
“When I first started work here, the stigma was definitely there. Being an ex-convict is not easy. You are afraid of how people look at you, how people judge your past and all that,” said Mr Ng.
“I’m thankful to say I’ve joined an outlet where people are not so judgmental. The people here don’t treat me as an ex-convict, they treat me as a normal person. Everybody deserves a second chance. So, why not me?” he added.
His employers have been impressed with his work so far. They have seen tremendous improvement in his attitude and have even earmarked him for leadership roles.
Jonathan Ng is a supervisor at the Swensen’s outlet.
ABR Holdings, which runs Swensen’s, is an example of a company that provides ex-offenders a second shot at life. The company is registered with the Singapore Corporation of Rehabilitative Enterprises (SCORE) – a statutory board under the Home Affairs Ministry that prepares inmates for the reintegration into the workforce.
Over the past eight years, ABR Holdings has employed some 34 ex-offenders, and eight of them are still working full-time with the company.
“I would say the perception has changed over the years,” said Benny Ng, general manager for Swensen’s.
“During the journey, we tried to experiment, we took in a few more ex-offenders and we found that after a bit of job redesign, these ex-offenders are actually doing equally well as the rest of employees,” he added.
Companies like Swensen’s also put in place systems to help ex-offenders adjust to working life.
“We coach them, all the managers are well informed where they came from, what’s their background. We’re also careful with the words we choose, so as not to trigger any anger,” said Benny Ng.
Jonathan is one of some 2,061 inmates who underwent SCORE’s employment programmes before he was released from prison last year. The number is up from 1,740 in 2012.
While still in prison, inmates are able to undergo professional courses under the Workforce Skills Qualification framework. There are 33 courses to choose from, with more than 20,000 training places available.
Depending on their interests, inmates may be assigned to various courses in areas like operations, manufacturing and culinary arts.
After their training, inmates are then matched to jobs that suit their skills and personality traits. They also work with a job coach, who is tasked to help inmates make the transition from prison life to working life easier.
Jonathan Ng serving a customer at Swensen’s.
“The inmates stay inside the system for a period of time. So when they come out, they usually face issues like financial problems, housing,” said SCORE job coach Justin Ng.
“Usually these issues get them distracted, and they try to solve these problems first before they want to embark on something more serious like employment. So if we’re able to get them out of the way, usually they’ll be able to see a clearer path, to see how employment will be beneficial for them,” he added.
Over the past five years, more than 96 per cent of inmates secured jobs before release, with about 60 per cent of them staying in the job for at least six months.
MORE EX-OFFENDERS JOINING RETAIL, LANDSCAPING
According to SCORE, the number of employers registering with them has also been increasing from some 3,457 companies in 2012 to more than 5,000 in 2016.
There has also been a shift in the type of industries that ex-offenders enter. While jobs in the F&B sector still make the bulk of employment for inmates, employers in other industries like retail, hospitality and even landscaping are coming on board.
“SCORE consistently targets potential employers with evergreen employer demands. We target industries who have remained resilient during economic downturn who can offer employment opportunities at all time,” explained Mr Freddy Low, senior assistant director (job retention support).
Employers must fulfill the basic requirement in order to be registered with SCORE. This means they must comply with the Employment Act and CPF Act, pay market rate salary and adopt good workplace practices.
But job coaches say that the most important thing is to create a conducive work environment, as this will make it less likely for ex-inmates to re-offend.
“One of the main factors that may influence their change in behaviour is obviously the work environment they find themselves in,” adds job coach Justin Ng.
“If they are able to form a connection, camaraderie between them and their colleagues, supervisors, they will be able to build some form of attachment to the company as well as loyalty. In doing so, they will find more value in doing well and contributing to not just their company but to themselves, their family and society at large.”
