The Daily Ketchup Inside The Minds of Prison Inmates in Singapore...
Nov 14, 2025
Marlene Chua, a psychologist with the Singapore Prison Service, takes us behind the scenes of prison rehabilitation. She discusses the complex process of assessing violent and sexual offenders, including understanding their risk factors and distorted thinking. Marlene shares insights on building trust with resistant inmates and the challenges of maintaining clinician boundaries. She also explores motivations for change in offenders and the significance of aftercare support, highlighting that even those who commit serious harm can, with the right interventions, transform their lives.
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Therapy In Prison Is Mandatory And Outcome-Focused
- Prison psychology is largely mandatory, so engagement differs from voluntary therapy outside.
- The primary goal in prison is to reduce offending behaviour rather than only manage mood.
Trace The Steps That Led To An Offence
- Psychologists map the sequence of events and factors leading to an offence to target intervention points.
- Understanding how offending started guides which interventions and skills to teach the inmate.
Be Clear About Intentions To Build Rapport
- Build rapport by being clear about intentions and boundaries before expecting disclosure.
- Explain that assessment informs suitable counselling programmes to encourage honest sharing.