What Are Ex-Offenders?

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What are ex-offenders? Ex-offenders are people who are ready to start a new life, with criminal records but are willing to turn over a new leaf and society should treat them with sanctity and esteem. They are not only males, but also females with families, they have wishes, passions, pains, merriments just like us (“What defines an Ex-offender?”, n.d., para. 1). However, ex-offenders in Singapore are facing a tremendous problem - which is the lack of trust by Singapore society. This is due to the lack of integration and communication within the society. When they are released from jail, these ex-offenders face judgement from others. Having committed an offence, leads people into stereotyping that they will commit another offence. I am very concerned with the situation in Singapore regarding ex-offenders. I am afraid that if my friends or my family members become the ex-offenders, they would be condemned by society and would not be given a second chance. I truly sympathise with the ex-offenders who are unable to be part of the society just because of their past and I feel that they should not be seen through tinted glasses. I sincerely wish to help these people whom society has turned their back on. They should be treated equally just like everyone else. I used to assume that ex-offenders will revert to their old ways, and that they will cause harm to the society. However, in actual fact, when being treated with dignity and respect, ex-offenders can be just like any of us, normal people, who lead normal lives. Ex-offenders can be successful in their new life too. Mr. Benny Se Teo, the founder of a restaurant named Eighteen Chefs, is the perfect example of an ex-offender who has walked out of darkness into a brighter future. He a... ... middle of paper ... ...these ex-offenders are re-integrated back into the society, they are able to obtain jobs with ease. The government should perhaps also make it mandatory for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to hire ex-offenders if they meet the skills requirement for the job. With a job, their safety needs, social needs and esteem needs are met. This reduces the possibility of ex-offenders committing crimes again. In a nutshell, ex-offenders in Singapore are faced with pre-perceived presumptions from society which gives them a hard time finding jobs. Although policies and services such as the Yellow Ribbon Projects and SCORE are being introduced to aid them, it is still inadequate as many ex-offenders are still jobless. In my opinion, everybody deserves a second chance, so do the ex-offenders. We should play our part to help these ex-offenders to be part of our society again.

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