Essay Draft 1

Introduction

There is an increasing awareness to successfully rehabilitate and  reintegrate ex-offenders into Singapore’s society. For example, the Yellow Ribbon Project aims to improve the effectiveness of rehabilitation and reintegration programmes through the combined efforts of community and government organizations, such as Singapore Prison Service. However, these programmes are insufficient to help ex-offenders overcome what is known as the digital divide. Digital divide is defined as “ the differing amount of information between those who have access to the Internet…and those who do not have access” (Internet World Stats, 2014). Digital divide, in the context of ex-offenders, refer to their access to the internet, especially social media. According to Vogel (2008) prison settings restrain the inmates’ access to a myriad of Information and communications technology (ICTs), such as smart phones or internet access, for both security and safety reasons. As a result, prison inmates, after being released, often suffer from digital illiteracy, which refers to “the inability to use information and communication technologies to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information, requiring both cognitive and technical skills” (Visser, 2012). For example, an ex-offender may not know how to use google search or Facebook after being release from prison due to long term incarceration. Ex-offenders in Singapore face poor assimilation in our technologically-driven society upon release due to their lack of internet access and social media during incarceration. Therefore the idea of a virtual campus, as adopted from the Ministry of Justice, United Kingdom, is proposed to teach offenders to use social media effectively as well as provide advanced training courses and employability skills.

Identification and description of the problem

Limited access to the internet, especially social media, will contribute to a host of problems that would impede reintegration of ex-offenders into society.

One problem resulting from this limited access to the internet reduces employment opportunities for ex-offenders. Firstly, this lack of access as a result of long-term incarceration might impede ex-offenders from utilizing online technologies, such as social networking sites, effectively to connect with potential employers. From the business firm American Technology Research Inc, an expert on business postulated that an increasing number of entrepeneurs use Skype as one of their primary means to conduct interviews and facilitate business communication (Lin, 2006). One might foresee the ex-offenders’ challenge of seeking employment through the use social networking sites. For example, an ex-offender may find it perplexing to attend a job interview via Skype in Singapore.

Secondly, ex-offenders may find difficulty in working for corporations that place great emphasis on the use of modern technologies. Various companies and organizations are increasingly adopting modern technologies for organizational purposes, such as staff employment or company management. In an article by eLearning industry, corporations report that elearning is one of the top training methods used to train both employers and employees in managing corporations (eLearning Industry, 2014). Ex-offenders, upon release from long-term incarceration, might find it difficult to cope with the concept of eLearning as they have not learnt about it during imprisonment.

Finally, technology can evolve significantly during the period when offenders are serving their sentence prior to release. As technology becomes more sophisticated, ex-offenders may not be sufficiently proficient to acquire the necessary skills needed to master certain ICTs. In the past, we could only communicate with others over long distances through mobile phones. Presently, our computers are equipped with the technology to make calls or even host conference video calls with many people at once. The nature of technology may increasingly become complex and ex-offenders find difficulty in learning these technologies upon release. As a result, ex-offenders may experience further inequality upon release. This inequality may result in feelings of isolation accompanied by feelings of low self-worth and frustration which lead to poor reintegration into society and thus, increase the likelihood of re-offending (Willis & Grace, 2009). As such, this poor reintegration into society may increase the likelihood of recidivism amongst ex-offenders.

Solution

A solution to bridge the digital divide between ex-offenders and society is the implementation of a Virtual Campus (VC) within correctional settings. The VC is a “safe, web-based IT platform that aims to provide education, training and employment opportunities” (Kendall & Hughes, 2011) for offenders under incarceration, so that they can better reintegrate into our technologically-driven society upon release. To apply the idea of VC in Singapore, one approach is the provision of employment skills training to current offenders. For example, the VC can provide offenders opportunities to attend various courses taught by an online tutor, such as data entry workshops. Upon completion of these courses, offenders can be taught to create online resumes to document these milestones. Upon release, this resume will continue to follow these offenders through prison into the local community. To improve on the VC, the idea of a secured social media and networking outlet should be implemented. Social networking tools, such as Facebook or Skype, can be taught to offenders so as to improve their ease of reintegration into society upon release. The VC helps promote active interaction amongst offenders. For example, offenders would have to write out workings while completing the workshops. Also, the VC promotes continuing support to offenders through community organizations. To elaborate, the workshops attended by offenders within VC are facilitated by external organizations. Upon release from incarceration, these offenders can then continue their learning or even acquire employment opportunities with these organizations (Kendall & Hughes, 2011).

In conclusion, the suggestion of a VC to help facilitate ease of reintegration of ex-offenders into the local community is important. Ex-offenders face a myriad of challenges upon release, such as stigmatization from the community as well as the lack of employment opportunities which may impede their reintegration into society. Therefore, providing the necessary skills to ex-offenders serves as an essential safeguard for helping them integrate into society as well as reduces the likelihood of these ex-offenders reoffending.

Reference

eLearning Industry. (2014). Top 10 e-learning statistics that you need to know. Retrieved from http://elearningindustry.com/top-10-e-learning-statistics-for-2014-you-need-to-know

Grace, R. C., & Willis, G. M. (2009). Assessment of community reintegration planning for sex offenders. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 36(5), 494-512. 

Internet World Stats. (2014). The digital divide, ICT and the 50 x 15 initiative. Retrieved from http://www.internetworldstats.com/links10.htm

Kendall, A., & Hughes, J. (2011). The Alliance for digital incluson. In Working with the virtual campus action research  ‘champions’ programme. Retrieved from https://www.wlv.ac.uk/pdf/sed-res-hughes-workingwithvirtualcampus.pdf

Lin, A. (2006). Business technology statistics. Entrepreneur. Retrieved fromhttp://www.entrepreneur.com/article/81966.

Visser, M. (2012). What is digital literacy. In Digital Literacy Definition. Retrieved from http://connect.ala.org/node/181197  

Yellow Ribbon Project Singapore. (2014). Who we are. In About Us. Retrieved from http://www.yellowribbon.org.sg/about-us/yellow-ribbon-singapore.html