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i have clients who are in remand in changi prison - when i mean in remand i mean they have not been convicted by a court of law and proven guilty. because everyone seems to think that prison is like OITNB - im here to set the record straight.
(1) there are no beds - yup you sleep on a mat with 3 other people in the same cell.
(2) there is only a small window that has a awning so you cannot see the sky.
(3) the door is solid - not bars like in tv.
(4) can you now imagine how stuffy it is? there is a fan but it is not
(2) there is only a small window that has a awning so you cannot see the sky.
(3) the door is solid - not bars like in tv.
(4) can you now imagine how stuffy it is? there is a fan but it is not
switched on 24/7. think of the hot days you've experienced in singapore. now imagine if you are in a small concrete room with 3 other people.
(5) sorry hor no canteens like on TV. no shared toilets or bathrooms. you eat, sleep, shit in the cell. only a waist height wall between
(5) sorry hor no canteens like on TV. no shared toilets or bathrooms. you eat, sleep, shit in the cell. only a waist height wall between
the squatter and the rest of the room.
(6) there is no commissary in sg prisons. there is a point system where you can exchange for things like biscuits, an extra shirt. you get 20 points a month if you dont do stupid shit. 360 points get you an open visit - means hugs!
(6) there is no commissary in sg prisons. there is a point system where you can exchange for things like biscuits, an extra shirt. you get 20 points a month if you dont do stupid shit. 360 points get you an open visit - means hugs!
(7) face to face visits are 20 mins behind a thick glass wall, televisits are 30 mins via video call.
(8) because they are not convicted, they are not expected to be in there long term - so they are not given jobs or anything to do unlike people who have been convicted.
(8) because they are not convicted, they are not expected to be in there long term - so they are not given jobs or anything to do unlike people who have been convicted.
but the reality is - a lot of cases take very long to conclude. investigations take a while, the court case takes a while. then if there's an appeal it's even longer. there are people in remand for years. not everyone can afford bail or are offered bail.
(9) this means that they
(9) this means that they
are confined in the hot stuffy cell 23 out of 24 hours a day. 1 hour a day they are allowed to go out of their cells into spaces where you also cannot see the sky. it's either a day room or yard - which looks like a big school hall with no windows.
(10) then there are lock downs
(10) then there are lock downs
when idiots in remand decide to fight. if it's a gang fight, the whole place gets locked down. for days. this means that they are not even allowed to come out of their cells for that one hour. for days. and they don't know when it would end. shaving, cutting nails etc happen
during yard time so they become shaggy and unkempt during those lockdown periods.
because of covid, family visits, even televisits, are not allowed.
why am i writing this? because i am bored as fuck at home even with the internet, air-conditioning, my family. and i simply
because of covid, family visits, even televisits, are not allowed.
why am i writing this? because i am bored as fuck at home even with the internet, air-conditioning, my family. and i simply
cannot imagine what it must be like, whether mentally or physically, for my clients in remand. and i feel so so so sorry for them. don't say shit like don't do the crime if you can't do the time. again these are people who have not been convicted. and yes there are people who are
heinous. but for a lot of people, when i put myself in their shoes, faced with the same circumstances, i may have had no choice but to walk down the same path. so i empathise. i do. im not saying that people shouldn't be punished im just saying that it could simply be a stroke of
luck that brought me down a different path.
Because a lot of people are retweeting - please note that i really do respect the Singapore Prison Service a lot. All the Prison Officers I've interacted with are very kind and my clients have told me that too. They are really invested in rehabilitating the inmates.
I raised these things to some people around me, and someone told me pretty bluntly - "you think Singaporeans will want their tax monies to go towards building a better prison meh".
