Deputy Assistant Commissioner (DAC) Jean Chiang, director of SPS’ logistics and finance division, told CNA that lowering the stigma faced by supervisees will let them gain confidence as they look for a job and socialise in the community.
“As they go to different places, like places of worship, they feel that they are accepted … and not seen in a different way (or) a different light,” added the former deputy director at SPS’ Community Corrections Command.
“A lot of them only wear long pants to hide the tag, and so looking from their perspective, we wanted to give them something that really normalises the tagging. So, that’s why we had the idea of having a wrist tag instead.”
HELPING WITH REINTEGRATION
Ex-offender Bruce Mathieu, who now works as a motivational speaker, said the new wrist tags will be helpful in overcoming the stigma of being an inmate while they begin their reintegration into the community.
He said the existing ankle tags make inmates highly visible to the public while working in the community, potentially affecting their confidence.
“One of the major problems that ex-offenders have … is low self-esteem. Being out in society, trying to reintegrate, it’s not an easy journey. We don’t want society to judge us for our past … but more of what we are going to do with our life for the future,” he added.
Mr Thomas Tan, a lead engineer at the Home Team Science and Technology Agency’s (HTX) corrections and narcotics programme management centre, said that these new wrist tags are smaller in size and lighter in weight.
“Ankle tags are bulkier and heavier. It is (also) more obvious to the public,” he added.
MIMICKING A SMARTWATCH
Both types of tags share the same operating system and cost about the same to produce.
They can last up to 16 hours of usage when fully charged, according to manufacturer iWOW Technology.
