Ex-Convict Discrimination in Singapore

Ex-Convict Discrimination in Singapore After leaving the physical incarceration, ex-offenders find themselves entering into the second prison, where they have to tear down the invisible walls formed by the social stigma, the fear and distrust from the society (Youth Reloaded, 2005). Because mindset and attitudes are difficult to change, they often find difficulties in integrating back to the society. If the situation does not improve, inequality will continue to exist in the society. We should then implement pragmatic solutions to alleviate the discrimination against them. The Issues and Who Are Involved Ex-offenders are those who have finished serving their prison term or those with a criminal record or history (Guralnik, 1970). Every year in Singapore, around 11,000 ex-convicts are released back to the society (Singapore Prison Service). The employment statistics is one of the key indicators on the ability of these ex-offenders to reintegrate successfully in the society. Industrial Services Co-Operative Society (ISCOS) has helped 3,000 ex-offenders to find jobs so far (938Live, 2010). 81 percent of those who got a job stayed on for 3 months (Singapore Corporation of Rehabilitative Enterprises, 2008). In this essay, I seek to discuss on the causes, implications, and propose solutions on discrimination against ex-offenders. Support programmes such as the Yellow Ribbon Project (YRP) and organisations such as SCORE exist and it is important that we evaluate the effectiveness of these organisations in helping ex-offenders to reintegrate into the society. In my opinion, isolating other effects, the re-integration rate will therefore serves as an indication of the level of discrimination against these ex-offenders. The little interaction between the public and ex-inmates is a result of feeling of unequal treatments and stereotyping. The public treats ex-offenders unfairly as they feel that they should compensate for their wrongdoing. Ex-offenders themselves are also aware of the prejudice against them. Some resigned this to their fate and ended up avoid opening up to the society. It is therefore important that we recognize the existence of such issues and raise awareness to reduce the degree of discrimination and to assist these ex-offenders. Firstly, most of the offenders have tattoos on their body, which signifies status, power and belonging to a certain group. Because of stereotyping, we tend to group those who have tattoos as those who have committed crimes. Out of fear and concerns of being associated with these people, we reacted by standing far away. What we failed to recognise is that how we interpret the information we obtained affects our judgement. These tattoos could have been due to a moment of folly during their adolescent stage. On an organisational level, some employers are still unwilling to hire ex-offenders, because they believe that leopards can never change its spots. It is heartening to see the number of ex-offenders being employed have increased with the years but we cannot guarantee that they have been given equal rights as the others. For example, at least 30 employees at the Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa had to leave their job because all of them failed the Casino Regulatory Authority (CRA)s background checks. Failure to disclose was taken to assess the applicants integrity, honesty and character (Lim Lim, 2010). There is no difference on whether if those with criminal records declared or not, they still had their contracts terminated anyway. Does the criminal history necessarily the best and only predictors for future performance? Do we judge those have continuously erred and condemn that they do not deserve the chance to repent? In addition, job applicants are required to declare that if they have been convicted in a court in any country before. Because this is usually a one-liner question, ex-offenders applications can be filtered out without considering the seriousness of the offences or even the recidivism rate of the offender (Youth Reloaded, 2005). This may provide an opportunity for employers to screen out ex-offenders and justify if there any inappropriate acts in the company in future (Coble-Krings,2007).Being desperate, these applicants may lie about their background and will be marked down further for dishonesty. Moving up to legislation, the Registration to Criminals Act was amended in 2005, to allow the ex-offenders to mark their records as spent, meaning that there is no need to discuss the existence of the records in most cases, if the offences committed are minor and they were crime-free for five years (Attorney-Generals Chambers, 2005). This means that those with serious offences such as sentences imposed include imprisonment term of more than 3 months or a fine exceeding $200,000, are not allowed to do so, thus, the implementation of the policy is unfair as it deprives those with a serious offence a chance to start anew. Comparing with United States, the treatments of ex-offenders in Singapore are, in my opinion, much better. In the United States, the ex-offenders were not allowed to apply for employment licenses or work in organisations dealing with those that needs more attention, such as elderly and children (Love, 2006). Why is it important for us to talk about it? The society plays a significant role in the reintegration of the ex-offenders. Ex-offenders, no matter what mistakes they made, are still part of us and are assets to the society. However, despite their willingness to start to from ground zero, we shun away and discriminate them. High unemployment is linked to increase in rate of recidivism (Finn, 1998).Therefore, when they are unable to secure a job, the path of recidivism seems easier and they will revert back to their old ways to survive. This remains risky although the recidivism rate in Singapore has remained at 25 % since 2006 (Singapore Prison Service, 2009). Where can we start to fix the problem? No steady source of income means ex-offenders and their families may not be able to afford basic necessities for survival and cannot move away from their social class. Those families that grew desperate may resort to crimes to get what they wanted. Thus, it is difficult for ex-offenders to live a better life when they are not given the same opportunities. The vicious cycle continues as their future generations may follow the footsteps of the older generations. To reduce and even eliminate the stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination against these ex-offenders, it is important that we find out the root causes of this issue and implement various programmes and activities to encourage active participation as increased interaction may improve the perspective of the public towards ex-offenders. To begin with, organizations should organize more activities to provide both the public and ex-offenders an opportunity to interact. Such activities may be visit to the prisons and / or halfway houses, outdoor and indoor activities, community service projects or even, encourage ex-offenders to participate in existing events such as Yellow Ribbon Prison Run. Through interaction, we develop bonds and trust and these may change the perspective of the public towards them and therefore reduce the extent of discrimination. Many ex-offenders have low self-esteem and are afraid of rejection. Therefore, we should involve the ex-offenders in the planning and executing of events in the community. These events provide an opportunity for the ex- inmates to showcase their talents in various areas. Also, besides the technical skills acquired from the support programmes, the programmes should also focus on soft skills such as interpersonal skills. These ex-convicts should also learn more about resume writing and interview skills, as these will help them to market themselves well. As mentioned above, employers often do not want to give ex-offenders a second chance. Non-acceptance has killed the only hope that these ex-offenders have to reintegrate into the society. Currently, we have campaigns such as Help To Unlock The Second Prison (Yellow Ribbon Project), which focuses on the role that society plays. However, I feel that the campaigns should also focus on the ability and skills that these ex-offenders have to contribute. We have job seminars from SCORE and ISCOS, but to enhance the public confidence in them, we can consider cooperating with companies to provide these ex-offenders transitional jobs as probationers (Fahey, Roberts Engel, 2006) to start them off for several years so that they have relevant working experience, instead of merely skills acquiring in the rehabilitative programmes. After the transition period, these organizations can also help to recommend the employees to other companies. We should further improve on the interview question so that it allows the ex-offender to declare that they have convicted for which offences and also the year of conviction. Company can now decide if these offences are detrimental to the interests of the stakeholders. The company will suffer the heaviest losses if the ex-offenders cause any troubles. Also, the job applicants gain from this as the employers are practising selective screening rather than a total elimination. There are also calls to ban the declaration box so that past criminal record will not affect employment. (Henry Jacobs, 2007). However, I feel that the employers are right to protect their interests and the ex-offenders should be honest and convince the employers on their efforts to stay out of crime. I acknowledge that the amendment to the Registration of Criminals Act is a good move to redress discrimination. However, I feel that this should be made applicable to all ex-offenders, retaining the five years crime-free period, but instead of disqualifying serious offenders, their time-frame could be extended up to 10 years. If the solutions proposed above are being implemented on a long-term basis, the mindset of the public may change and be more accepting towards ex-offenders and the Singapore will move towards as a progressive society as a whole.

MIB :: essays research papers

Summary:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Men In Black is a secret organization of people who do their best in saving the world. The people of MIB are specially trained to save the world from aliens who try to destroy the world. The story is about two people named, Kay and Jay, who save the world from an alien bug, named Edgar. Jay was recruited into the organization, after meeting Kay. The organization is made up of men, women, and aliens.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The book is about an officer named James Edward III (Jay) who meets a man in a black suit from an organization, the man name Kay. Jay meets Kay at a park after Jay gets into an incident with a disappearing man. Then Jay gets into the organization and is shown the headquarters.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Then Jay finds more about the plant and understands how the government is really lying to the people about the alien sighting. Jay goes on his first assignment with Kay to find out about more incidences that have occurred in the past few days. They both go to a newsstand and Kay picks up a new paper on tabloids and tells Jay that this was their resource.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Then the two go off to a farm to find out more an alien that stole her husband’s skin. Kay examines the place and the wreck that the alien left. They leave the farm and go to the city and find the man, but they could not do anything to stop him so the y let him get away. Then Kay meets a friend in a restaurant who dies, so Kay and Jay take the body to an autopsy to help his friend and then the lady that works there finds out who they are.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The next night Kay and Jay figured out what the alien, Edgar, was going to do and where he was going to do it. They both go there and stop Edgar from destroying the world with the help of the lady from the autopsy, El. They kill Edgar and Kay tells Jay the he was going to retire and that El was going to be his new partner. Character List: Kay:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A white male who is in his mid to late 40’s. Role in novel:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  He is one out of who save the world from Edgar. Jay:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A black male who is in his early 30’s. Role in novel:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  He is the other person who saves the world from Edgar.

El Filibusterismo Essay

Thirteen years after leaving the Philippines, Crisostomo Ibarra returns as Simoun, a rich jeweler sporting a beard and blue-tinted glasses, and a confidant of the Captain-General. He cynically sides with the upper classes, encouraging them to commit abuses against the masses to encourage the latter to revolt against the oppressive Spanish colonial regime. His two reasons for instigating a revolution are at first, to rescue Marà ­a Clara from the convent and second, to get rid of ills and evils of Philippine society. His true identity is discovered by a now grown-up Basilio while visiting the grave of his mother, Sisa, as Simoun was digging near the grave site for his buried treasures. Simoun spares Basilio’s life and asks him to join in his planned revolution against the government, egging him on by bringing up the tragic misfortunes of the latter’s family. Basilio declines the offer as he still hopes that the country’s condition will improve. Basilio, at this p oint, is a graduating medical student at the Ateneo Municipal. After the death of his mother, Sisa, and the disappearance of his younger brother, Crispà ­n, Basilio heeded the advice of the dying boatman, Elà ­as, and traveled to Manila to study. Basilio was adopted by Captain Tiago after Marà ­a Clara entered the convent. Simoun, for his part, keeps in close contact with the bandit group of Kabesang Tales, a former cabeza de barangay who suffered misfortunes at the hands of the friars. He was forced to give everything he had owned to the greedy, unscrupulous Spanish friars and the Church. Before joining the bandits, Tales took Simoun’s revolver while Simoun was staying at his house for the night. As payment, Tales leaves a locket that once belonged to Marà ­a Clara. To further strengthen the revolution, Simoun has Quiroga, a Chinese man hoping to be appointed consul to the Philippines, smuggle weapons into the country using Quiroga’s bazaar as a front. Simoun wishes to attack during a stage play with all of his enemies in attendance. He, however, abruptly aborts the attack when he learns from Basilio that Marà ­a Clara had died earlier that day in the convent. A few days after the mock celebration by the stu dents, the people are agitated when disturbing posters are found displayed around the city. The authorities accuse the students present at the panciterà ­a of agitation and disturbing peace and has them arrested. Basilio, although not present at the mock celebration, is  also arrested. Captain Tiago dies after learning of the incident. But before he dies he signs a will. His will originally states that Basilio should inherit all his property but due to this forgery his property is given in parts, one to Santa Clara, one for the archbishop, one for the Pope, and one for the religious orders leaving nothing for Basilio to be inherited. Basilio is left in prison as the other students are released. Basilio is soon released with the help of Simoun. Basilio, now a changed man, and after hearing about Julà ®Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s suicide, finally joins Simoun’s revolution. Simoun then tells Basilio his plan at the wedding of Paulita Gà ³mez and Juanito, Basilio’s hunch-backed classmate. His plan was to conceal an explosive which contains nitroglycerin inside a pomegranate-st yled Kerosene lamp that Simoun will give to the newlyweds as a gift during the wedding reception. According to Simoun, the lamp will stay lighted for only 20 minutes before it flickers; if someone attempts to turn the wick, it will explode and kill everyone—important members of civil society and the Church hierarchy—inside the house. Basilio has a change of heart and attempts to warn Isagani, his friend and the former boyfriend of Paulita. Simoun leaves the reception early as planned and leaves a note behind: Initially thinking that it was simply a bad joke, Father Salvà ­ recognizes the handwriting and confirms that it was indeed Ibarra’s. As people begin to panic, the lamp flickers. Father Irene tries to turn the wick up when Isagani, due to his undying love for Paulita, bursts in the room and throws the lamp into the river, sabotaging Simoun’s plans. He escapes by diving into the river as guards chase after him. He later regrets his impulsive action because he had contradicted his own belief that he loved his nation more than Paulita and that the explosion and revolution could have fulfilled his ideals for Filipino society. Simoun, now unmasked as the perpetrator of the attempted arson and failed revolution, becomes a fugitive. Wounded and exhausted after he was shot by the pursuing Guardia Civil, he seeks shelter at the home of Father Florentino, Isagani’s uncle, and comes under the care of doctor Tiburcio de Espadaà ±a, Doà ±a Victorina’s husband, who was also hiding at the house. Simoun takes poison in order for him not to be captured alive. Before he dies, he reveals his real identity to Florentino while they exchange thoughts about the failure of his revolution and why God forsook him, when all he wanted was to avenge the people important to him that were wronged, such as Elias,  Maria Clara and his father, Don Rafael. Florentino opines that God did not forsake him and that his plans were not for the greater good but for personal gain. Simoun, finally accepting Florentino’s explanation, squeezes his hand and dies. Florentino then takes Simoun’s remaining jewels and throws them into the Pacific Ocean with the corals hoping that they would not be used by the greedy, and th at when the time came that it would be used for the greater good.

Essay on Police Brutality and the Use of Force - 2526 Words

There are very few careers with as high demands for an ethical standard as law enforcement. Although there are many careers, which require a dedication to doing the right thing, it is undeniable that there is a tremendous degree of responsibility and expectations placed on the police officer. While most professions allow for careful thought and planning, a police officer is often thrust into a situation with little advanced intelligence about what is occurring. Often an officer is involved in a situation which has the potential to turn violent. Relying on training allows the officer to successfully navigate a variety of situations. After a few years on the job, even the rookie police officer is aware that they live and†¦show more content†¦The application of force is often considered ethically neutral it can, under a variety of circumstances, constitute an abuse of authority. The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) defines the use of force as â€Å"th at amount of effort required by police to compel compliance from an unwilling subject† (Police Use of Force in America 2001, n.d, p. 1). The IACP defines the use of excessive force as â€Å"the application of an amount and/or frequency of force greater than that required to compel compliance from a willing or unwilling subject† (Police Use of Force in America 2001, n.d, p. 1). According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics (n.d.), in 2005 19% of U.S. residents 16 and over had contact with a police officer. Of these contacts, 9 in 10 felt the police acted properly. During these contacts with approximately 43.5 million persons, an estimated 1.6% had force used against them or threatened to be used (Bureau of Justice Statistics, n.d.). A study by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (as cited in Police Use of Force in America 2001, n.d.) shows that force was used 3.6 times for every 10,000 (police/citizen) encounters this suggests that force was not used in 99% of all cases. Statistical data for excessive force is lacking as there is no standard measure in place. Given these figures it is safe to suggest thatShow MoreRelatedPolice Brutality : Use Of Excessive And Unnecessary Force By Police1536 Words   |  7 Pages Police brutality is the use of excessive and unnecessary force by police when dealing with civilians. Police brutality can be present in many ways. The most common form of police brutality is a physical form. Police officers can use nerve gas, batons, pepper spray, and guns in order to physically intimidate or even intentionally hurt civilians. Police brutality can also take the form of false arrests, verbal abuse, psychological intimidation, sexual abuse, police corruption, racial profilingRead MorePolice Brutality : Use Of Excessive And Unnecessary Force By Police1536 Words   |  7 Pages Police brutality is the use of excessive and unnecessary force by police when dealing with civilians. Police brutality can be present in many ways. The most common form of police brutality is a physical form. Police officers can use nerve gas, batons, pepper spray, and guns in order to physically intimidate or even intentionally hurt civilians. Police brutality can also take the form of false arrests, verbal abuse, psychological intimidation, sexual abuse, police corruption, racial profilingRead More Police Brutality: Use of Excessive Force Essay1243 Words   |  5 Pages What is police brutality? Police brutality is an act of misconduct done by a member law enforcement through the use of an extreme amount of force to physically, mentally, or emotionally attack a member of society. Many law enforcement officers, those sworn to protect and serve, have abused their rights and authority to ferociously assault and manipulate citizens, even if they were innocent. Citizens who have b een attacked have been left with physical and emotional scars that can never go away; inRead MorePolice bruality essay for college class i guess1365 Words   |  6 PagesPolice Brutality Police brutality occurs daily across America. Police brutality can come in various forms, counting lethal and nonlethal force. Comprehending the exact commonness of police brutality is complex, because of the inconsistency in describing police brutality. The trouble in differentiating among justified and unjustified force. Police interactions often can be misconstrued, or sometimes turned around against an officer. Questionable behavior and complaints against officers can be filedRead MorePolice Brutality And The United States1479 Words   |  6 Pages Police Brutality in the United States University of Nebraska Kearney Colton Blankenship Abstract This research paper is an overview of police brutality in the United States. The paper covers what police brutality is and the definition. The information about police brutality is expanded about what is reasonable and excessive use of force an officer can use. Information is included about the thoughts of what the citizens feel about police brutality. Among the white andRead MoreFree Argumentative Essays : Police Brutality738 Words   |  3 Pages J Free Argumentative Essays: Police Brutality 777 Words 4 Pages Police Brutality Police work is dangerous. Sometimes police put in situations that excessive force is needed. But, because some officers use these extreme measures in situations when it is not, police brutality should be addressed. The use of excessive force may or may not be large problem, but it should be looked into by both the police and the public. For those people who feel racismRead MorePolice Brutality Essay747 Words   |  3 PagesPolice Brutality James Regas December 15, 1996 Outline Thesis: But, because some officers use these extreme measures when it is not needed, police brutality should be addressed. I. Police Brutality A. Racism as a cause II. Police Brutality is not a problem A. Quotes from authorities B. Statistics of Declining Brutality III. Stopping Police Brutality A. Police Stopping themselves Read MorePolice Brutality Argument Paper1056 Words   |  5 PagesPolice work is a dangerous job, and police are more than likely to be put into situations when excessive force is needed.  But, sometimes police use excessive force for their own personal reasons, such as, racism. The issue of police officers using excessive force may or may not be of great concern, but it should be looked into by both the police and the public. Because some officers use excessive force in situations when it is not needed, police brutality should be addressed. Some may feel as ifRead MorePolice Brutality : A High Speed Chase By A Black Male By The Name Of Rodney King1672 Words   |  7 PagesLogan Casem Professor Kriesel English 1A 4 April 2015 Police Brutality On March 3rd, 1991, Los Angeles police officers were led on a high-speed chase by a black male by the name of Rodney King. King was engaged in a high-speed pursuit after California Highway Patrol officers noticed him speeding on the freeway. After stopping King and the other occupants in the car, King was removed from the vehicle to be beaten and arrested by officers in a famous video recorded by George Holliday that eventuallyRead MoreThe Violence Of Police Officers Essay1431 Words   |  6 Pagesmotivated police brutality and societal discrimination. Though his efforts were not in vain, today’s media representation of law enforcement impacts the societal cultivation of police officers in a negative way. Media outlets, in the forms of television, radio, or social websites, create a cynical view of police officers, which influences societal beliefs and creates negative connotations. These days, police are often stereotyped as aggressive, corrupt beings. The growing hatred for police officers