Hello there
I am not sure if drug offenders are priviledged to early release
or home detention. However i believe they should be.
If i am right, every inmate(except for serious crimes) is
automatically entitled to the home detention scheme. However from
what i know, the home detention scheme is not 6 months, but is 1/3
of the total sentence duration
The leg tagging system only applies if the inmate is entitled to
home detention.
This home detention machine if im right, is made by cisco, or
only installed by cisco officer, or something about cisco.
For home detention, the inmate will serve his/her 'sentence' at
home, and they are entitled to 2 hours off(if i remember correctly)
per day, and usually it is from 12 to 2 pm.
During this period u can go any where in singapore, i think pulau
ubin also can, as long as u are back in the 'detectable area' of
the machine before the time ends
This "2 hours off timing" i believe can be 'negotiated' with the
inmate's officer, but you can't change the duration, only the
timing.
This can be done during the day of release.
During the home detention period, if in an event whereby the
inmate is sick and needs to see a doctor, he/she must call the
prison and inform them first, seek permission before he can go to
see the doctor(if i am not wrong), and he/she must ask for an
Medical Certificate from the doctor.
The detector for the leg tagging thing is a very sensitive and
strict system, and it's works like the wifi router in your house.
There is a distance in which you must stay within, and i was told
the system will alert the headquarters if it detects the inmate is
'out of range'.
If you are staying in the landed property with 3-4 stories kind,
they may install more than one of these system, just to increase
the range.
If your father is eligible for the home detention, the prison
will call u up to make an appointment on the date to install this
system, and if i am right(again), this system operates on your home
telephone line. SINGTEL MIO Voice is
not compatible, as far as i know. Dun ask why, i also duno why la
very jialat and troublesome.
Don't worry, prior to the home detention program, the inmate's
officer or chief or big shot will call the inmate's immediate
family,asking if you are agreeable to this home detention
thingy.
If yes, they will call u and one of your family members to the
prison for a 'briefing'. You can bring more people for the
briefing, but the room is actually the officer's office, added with
a lot of chairs to accomodate the family members, so it is quite
cramp in the sense.
The person who will eventually escort the inmate home, must go
for the briefing, and he/she must be above 21, and must be immediate family member(means
boyfriend/girlfriend/aunt/nephew etc NOT ALLOWED), and the person
must be living in the same house as
the inmate, i.e. the IC must be same
address(they will take your IC and check). the
person must also come on the day to pick up the inmate
INFORMATION
such as date, time, address will be given during the
breifing. So better attend. Make yourself free the
day during the day of the breifing, at least 3-5 hours of free
time.
As they prison brief batch by batch, and the office is not very
big, and you may need to wait for your turn to be called to the
breifing.
There will be an officer calling out "Families of <<inmate's
name here>> please report at counter xxx". Be very attentive
when u see ppl lining up or calling names, they dont use speaker,
and background noise will cover their voice.
Tip: Seat near the counters
During the breifing you can ask questions. Held at the 2nd floor
of the prison(in the officer's office). When you go to the 2nd
floor of the prison for the briefing, you must put handphone at the
locker, etc. Then they will use the metal detector to scan if u
bring some unauthorise things. Standard procedures
Before the day of release, the inmate will be transferred to
another 'camp', it is called selarang camp.
During the day of release, max 2 immediate familly members can
go there(means go inside the "restricted area") and pick the inmate
up, there will be briefing on the home detention scheme.
Whole family can go to the place, but only 2 can go in. Others can
wait outside. Outside No aircon very hot, but there are fans.
However inside the breifing room, the aircon on until very cold,
u can ask the officers there to turn up the temp.
Don't worry to much, from what i feel, singapore prison seeems
very professional.
This is written to the best of my knowledge, because i didn't
pay too much attention during the breifing, just the main points,
come on la, everyone's mood is to bring the inmate back.
Look on the brighter side, your father is only 1 year, during
the times when i went for the briefing, televisiting etc, ive seen
sad faces, and being kaypoh, i overheard a mother telling her
children they are going to see their father for the last time or
last few time before death sentence or sth. Somemore the kids still
young. Then the kids still duno wad happen liddat. Quite sad in my
opinion.