Updated: 08/12/2013 16:57 | By Channel NewsAsia
Prison Service's system to manage violent inmates "appropriate, safe and effective"
SINGAPORE: The government has assured Singaporeans that the Singapore Prison Service's overall system and processes for managing violent inmates are appropriate, safe and effective.
Replying in Parliament on Monday, Second Minister for Home Affairs S Iswaran said that the Committee of Inquiry (COI) which looked into the death of inmate Dinesh Raman Chinniah has made recommendations to improve specific aspects of the control and restraint (C&R) techniques, which have since been acted upon.
Mr Iswaran said: "In response to the COI recommendations, the Prison Service has reviewed its C&R doctrines, instruction manuals and training materials to place greater emphasis on the risk of positional asphyxiation, and preventive measures.
"The Prison Service has also reviewed its re-certification requirement to ensure that all supervising officers are covered, including the superintendents of prisons, even though they may not need to directly apply C&R techniques themselves."
Inmate Dinesh Raman died on September 27, 2010, after he was restrained and relocated to a cell, following his unprovoked attack on a prison officer.
Mr Iswaran explained that the Ministry of Home Affairs recognises that maintaining order and discipline for the safety and security of inmates and prison officers is a difficult and challenging task.
He said: "We nevertheless expect prison officers to perform their duties with integrity and professionalism. It is important that the Prison Service has a team of disciplined and well trained officers who obey the law, and manage inmates conscientiously according to rules and procedures."
The ministry also takes a serious view of any professional misconduct, procedural lapses, neglect or excess of duty by prison commanders and officers. It will also take firm action against them according to the law and civil service disciplinary processes.
Mr Iswaran said this is important in maintaining public confidence in the institutions, and also in the people who continue to serve in them.
In July, a senior prison officer was fined S$10,000 for causing the death of Dinesh Raman through negligence.
With the conclusion of the court case, the ministry has initiated disciplinary action against the superintendent, supervisors and other officers involved in the incident.
On the question of compensation for the family, Mr Iswaran said following the conviction of the senior prison officer on July 19, the ministry has been in touch with the family of Dinesh Raman and their lawyer to discuss the family's concerns, as well as the matter of compensation.
The Attorney General's Chambers has informed the family and its lawyer in writing that the government accepts liability and will compensate the family and as discussions are on-going, the minister said he is not able to provide details.
Turning to questions on the length of the investigations into the Dinesh Raman case, Mr Iswaran said it took 28 months from the commencement of police investigations to the Attorney General's decision to prosecute. This was due to the complexity of the case.
Mr Iswaran said the police investigations included a thorough study of the control and restraint doctrine, training, protocols and techniques used in prison, meeting external experts, both domestic and international, to seek professional views and an assessment on the techniques deployed, and interviews with 130 witnesses.
Police investigators also went to the United Kingdom to consult a control and restraint expert from the National Tactical Response Group, under the UK Ministry of Justice.
When Member of Parliament for Aljunied GRC, Pritam Singh, asked if the COI report would be released, Mr Iswaran said that the purpose of the inquiry was not to "not to establish criminal guilt or liability."
Mr Iswaran added: "The purpose of the Committee of Inquiry was to audit the prisons system and processes, to ensure that adequate steps have been taken or to identify what additional steps need to be taken in order to prevent a recurrence of such an incident.
"That is the substance of the report and we have already explained what the recommendations were and those actions have been taken up by the prison."
The minister said that over the last four years, Singapore's prison officers have had to use control and restraint techniques 331 times to deal with a range of violent incidents.
Prior to the case of Dinesh Raman, no prison inmate had ever died or suffered serious injuries as a result of the techniques. - CNA/ac
