Juvenile Justice Researcher Studies Singapore Reentry Program
- published: 2022/09/27
- contact: Melanie Kiper - College of Public Affairs and Community Service
- email: mkiper@unomaha.edu
Anne Hobbs recently returned from the first of three visits to Singapore under a Flex Fulbright research project to study how religion, relationships, and resources impact prisoner reentry in Singapore. This is just the beginning of a bigger plan of what she hopes will become a broad community outreach project that will include study abroad opportunities for both American and Singaporean students; community service projects in Singapore; sister city partnerships; and professional visits with prison officials.
“I am hoping to return and bring professionals and students back with me,” Hobbs said. “It’s difficult to explain this amazing country and its people!”
That may seem ambitious, but her ideas did not come out of the blue. They are a natural extension of her work as a cultural ambassador that has taken her on previous exchanges throughout Asia, Central America, the Caribbean, and Europe. She has worked closely with students from Korea, Singapore, Colombia, Poland, and Belarus. She also teaches an international criminal justice class. She taught introduction to U.S. Criminal Procedure in China in 2016. She presented at conferences in Malaysia and Singapore. She is on the advisory board of the Lutheran Community Care Services in Singapore.
Hobbs’ Fulbright project began many years ago with a discussion between her School of Criminology and Criminal Justice colleague Professor Chris Eskridge, Ph.D., and a former Fulbright student from Singapore, Ganapathy Narayanan, Ph.D. Narayanan is now an associate professor of sociology at the National University of Singapore. Eskridge was aware of Hobbs’ previous scholarly work in the region and her interest in prisoner reentry. Eskridge put Hobbs in touch with Narayanan.
In her applied work as director of the Juvenile Justice Institute Hobbs, J.D., Ph.D., evaluates juvenile justice programs, specifically examining how to best keep young people out of the juvenile and criminal justice system. She is always searching for practices that hold youth accountable but recognize that they are still developing. Over the years, one practice has repeatedly shown promise.
"I was initially apprehensive, thinking Singapore would be the last place I would find creative solutions to criminal justice problems ... because it is known for harsher criminal justice penalties and restrictive laws," she said. But after learning more about Singapore’s national reentry initiative, the Yellow Ribbon Project, and how faculty in Singapore are currently studying the reentry process, she wanted to fully understand how Singapore has been so successful.
I was initially apprehensive, thinking Singapore would be the last place I would find creative solutions to criminal justice problems."
Restorative justice is founded on an alternative theory to the traditional methods of justice, which often focus on retribution and punishment. A restorative justice approach aims to get offenders to take responsibility for their actions, to understand the harm they caused, and discourages them from causing further harm. And it gives them an opportunity to redeem themselves. Restorative justice began with indigenous groups in Australia, but many countries, like Singapore, have done an exceptional job employing restorative approaches within their juvenile and criminal justice systems.
Adversarial legal systems, like the United States, are resistant to restorative practices because the person must admit guilt and take responsibility. This is a cornerstone of the approach. Research on recidivism shows lower rates when the offender fully accepts responsibility for the harm they caused.
Singapore’s Yellow Ribbon Project offers a perfect environment to study the factors that contribute to effective prisoner reentry. In a 13-year period, Singapore reduced the prison recidivism rate from 44.4% to 27.4%, an unheard-of level of improvement in recidivism rates. But it was not always this way.
In the late 1970s Singapore had tremendous problems of overcrowding and violence within the prison system. The country could not find individuals who wanted to work for Singapore Prison Services. Change did not come until almost thirty years later when one of the deputy directors, Jason Wong, felt compelled to change how prisoners are treated. This process and prison conditions are documented in Trash of Society: Setting Captives Free by Wong (2017).
Treating prisoners with respect and fundamental dignity cannot happen within the prison walls only. The community must welcome ex-offenders and be willing to support the reentry process. Singapore, led by Wong and colleagues, established programs where community members and prison officials work together to allow prisoners to have a second chance. For example, the community welcomes former prisoners into their churches and into the workplace. Job fairs are held in the prison. Past inmates train incoming guards.
Singapore appears to have made a dramatic impact in its recidivism rates by calling the entire community to action, instead of relying on a handful of agencies to work with prisoners re-entering society. However, it is unknown whether Singapore’s methodology is the magic ingredient or if there are other individual level factors, like social or recovery capital, that help prisoners successfully reenter society. Hobbs, along with colleague Narayanan, hope to answer that question. Research activities include observing the system; interviewing guards, prisoners, and former prisoners; interviewing citizens about the community support and acceptance of prison reentry; and surveying whether higher levels of social support exist for particular faith groups.
The Fulbright experience is designed to be more than just a research project. Its goal is to promote mutual understanding between countries, by sharing day-to-day life with others across the globe. Hobbs said her two months in Singapore were a perfect blend of research and cultural experiences. And her family got to share in those cultural experiences. She took six of her nine children and her husband along. They volunteered at a Hindu half-way house where the children worked in the eco-garden alongside prisoners. They learned about dragon fruit, bee rescue, Chinese herbal remedies, and different faith groups; and met people from all over the world. Singapore has a very child-friendly environment. Her children were welcome everywhere. When asked about their favorite part of the experience the children said everything was super fun, but the best part was the food, especially the hawker stalls which are like 100 street food vendors all in one place. For Hobbs, Singapore’s acceptance and respect for differing opinions was most impressive. People from all over the world gather in Singapore and individuals seem to genuinely respect and honor each other’s beliefs, religious practices, and differing approaches.
This expansive community outreach project started in the classroom, when a young Singaporean came to UNO to study criminal justice and ended up developing lasting professional relationships with his American colleagues. It will likely end with research leading to actions that will improve the lives of Nebraskans, along with the creation of an array of opportunities for others to interact and learn from each other, perhaps also developing lasting professional relationships which may lead to even more research and more action. This is the life cycle of CPACS’ vision of inspirational teaching, innovative research, and transformative service.