Search the Community

saw this in FB. think it is interesting and some insights. http://vimeo.com/13265669

Dr Lim Hock Siew is Singapore

Singapore: Convict Shortage Halts Singapore Prison Project Foreign 2008-08-08 14:40 SINGAPORE: Singapore has shut down construction of two prisons partly because the city-state's aging population isn't producing enough criminals, its prisons director said in remarks published Friday (8 Aug). Ng Joo Hee said work on two of the four prisons of the Singapore $1 billion (US$718 million) Changi Prison Complex was halted after the country's inmate population fell to a 10-year low of 11,768 last year. "In an aging population, you generally see a lower crime rate," Ng was quoted as saying in the Straits Times newspaper. He could not be reached on Friday. Singapore has some of the stiffest penalties for crime in the world, including cane lashes and death by hanging for some drug offenses. It also has one of the lowest birth rates, and the government is trying to encourage couples to have more children. Its crime rate fell to 696 incidents per 100,000 people last year from 974 in 1997. The paper said fewer repeat offenders and less drug abuse has helped thin the prison population. About a quarter of inmates released in 2005 returned within two years, while about half went back to prison in 1998. Ng credited prison education and work-study programs for the falling recidivism rate, the newspaper said. Drug rehabilitation centers housed 451 patients last year, down from 5,508 in 1997. Courts are also more hesitant to send offenders to prison, choosing other punishments such as probation instead, the paper said. (AP) http://www.mysinchew.com/node/14779 deh... not enterprising at all. mebbe they consider upgrading them to hostel like Hotel 81. can roleplay machiam warden and prisoner.. sure attract plenty of holiday makers