By doing so would it lose the deterent effect on petty crimes
?
Wiping the criminal slate clean
Minor offenders who stay out of trouble can now have their records
expunged
Jasmine Yin
[email protected]
NO LONGER will many former offenders, looking for a fresh start, be
haunted by their past.
.
Come next Monday, the Government is changing rules to strike out a
person's criminal record for good, provided the offence was minor
and the offender behaved himself afterwards.
.
This means that if someone asks a former offender whether he has a
criminal record, he may be able to lawfully answer "no", said
Senior Minister of State for Law and Home Affairs, Associate
Professor Ho Peng Kee.
.
Fittingly, he chose an appreciation dinner organised by the Yellow
Ribbon Project (YRP) ¡ª a one-year-old campaign which helps
re-integrate ex-offenders into society ¡ª to make this
announcement.
.
"The Government is doing its part to ensure that Singapore is a
land of opportunity for everyone, even those who have made mistakes
but who have demonstrated that they are committed to turning over a
new leaf," said Assoc Prof Ho.
.
For a start, about 120,000 ex-offenders will have their records
rendered spent, with an estimated 9,000 ex-offenders benefitting
each year from this change.
.
It is not a blank cheque, though. Some conditions have to be
met.
.
The offence committed must be minor in nature, such as theft or
shoplifting. Those convicted for serious offences ¡ª such as drug
trafficking, rape or molest ¡ª cannot have their records
erased.
.
To underline this point, the severity of the sentence will be a
factor. Those jailed for more than three months or fined more than
$2,000 do not qualify for relief.
.
The ex-offender should also have shown consistent good behaviour to
earn this second chance. Among other things, he should be
crime-free for five years. The countdown starts either from his day
of release from legal custody, or from the day of sentencing if no
imprisonment was involved.
.
During this period, the ex-offender must also not have been
convicted for another crime or have been admitted to a drug
rehabilitation centre.
.
The success of the changes will, of course, depend on how employers
react to them.
.
The Singapore Corporation of Rehabilitative Enterprises (Score),
which is the secretariat for the YRP, has stressed that to
successfully re-integrate with society, ex-offenders need jobs. At
a unique job fair last month, it managed to find jobs for 150
inmates awaiting release in the next three months.
.
But companies don't always walk the talk.
.
While 34 per cent of companies surveyed by Score said that they
were open to the idea of hiring ex-offenders, only 4 per cent of
employers actually did so.
.
"While legislation changes can be put in place, the Government
cannot legislate companies or businesses to employ ex-offenders. We
recognise that recruitment must be done with full knowledge and be
left to the judgement of the hiring party," said Assoc Prof
Ho.
.
"However, we strongly encourage employers to do their part in
helping those who are trying to help themselves."
.
He suggested that employers rephrase questions about criminal
conviction in job application forms. Instead of asking if a person
has ever been convicted in a court of law ¡ª to which the
ex-offender still has to answer "Yes" ¡ª applicants could simply be
asked if they have a criminal record.
.
Ex-offenders who wish to know if their records have been wiped
clean can call the Criminal Records Office at 6557 5700 from next
Monday onwards. By the first quarter of next year, an e-Portal will
also be set up for this purpose.
.
Many are celebrating the changes.
.
"This will help ex-offenders in their job interviews because in
Singapore, employers are very particular about their workers' past.
Those who committed minor cases have already paid their dues ¡ª and
there are a lot of capable people among them," said Mr Philip Leow,
whose manufacturing company has hired ex-offenders for the past 16
years.
.
Gospel singer Kelvin Soh, who was jailed for 20 years for various
offences, felt that while this was an "encouraging step" for
ex-offenders, he wanted more.
.
He asked in Mandarin: "This applies only to those with minor
offences, so does it mean that for those who committed heavier
offences, there is no more chance?"
