9: SEXUAL OFFENDER INTERVENTION IN SINGAPORE PRISON SERVICE

Since the early 2000s, the Singapore Prison Service (SPS) psychologists have been overseeing the field of sexual offender risk assessment, intervention and management. The rise in number of sexual offenders in Singapore highlighted the need to invest resources into reducing the rate of reoffending in this population. A key strategy adopted by SPS to address this is to provide evidence-informed and effective sexual offender intervention programmes. This chapter aims to briefly outline the progressive indicators of the following areas: (a) the professional development of psychologists working with sexual offenders, (b) key milestones in the development of specialised psychology-based correction programmes (PCPs) for adult sexual offenders and (c) recent development of the Transformational Environment (TE) for adult sexual offenders, conceptualised into three main pillars: process, people and programme. The chapter concludes with a case vignette and a reflection piece by an SPS Correctional Rehabilitation Specialist (CRS) working in the community with sex offenders.