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For one teenager, a troubled start in life led to three terms behind bars for drugs and theft-related offences. His third incarceration, though, marked a turning point.
Enrolled in the Prison School, the 21-year-old began taking his studies – and future – seriously.
“He had matured and started putting in effort to study and maintain his conduct,” recalls Deputy Assistant Commissioner (DAC) Luke Leong. “As a result, we got approval for him to be released on supervision in the community once he had served his minimum detention period.”
DAC Leong has been the Superintendent of Institution Tanah Merah since 2023. It houses both the Prison School (for inmates of all ages) and the Reformative Training Centre (for young offenders), and is one of 14 institutions managed by the Singapore Prison Service (SPS).
Seeing the transformation of young lives makes his work as a prison officer very rewarding, he says.
“It is always encouraging to see our ex-students and youth doing well after their release, be it pursuing further studies or finding stable jobs,” adds DAC Leong, who is also a Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) scholar.
At the Prison School, DAC Leong and his team work closely with the principal (an SPS staff), educators seconded from the Ministry of Education and adjunct teachers to help inmates continue their education.
Lessons are conducted in a retrofitted block within prison grounds where former cells have been transformed into classrooms.
“It’s just like a mainstream school, except that every day after class, the inmates go back to their accommodation,” explains DAC Leong.
Each year, about 300 inmates enrol in N-, O- and A-level classes, as well as tertiary programmes at the Prison School.
The curriculum also includes diploma and degree pathways co-developed with Ngee Ann Polytechnic and the Singapore University of Social Sciences – allowing inmates to earn qualifications and gain confidence to enter the workforce upon release.
The Prison School recently celebrated a significant achievement in its 25-year journey – producing its first university graduate.
“We prepare inmates for their release from the very first day they enter prison because their time here should not be wasted. Many have had their education disrupted, so we want to make sure those who are motivated to study have the chance to do so,” says DAC Leong.
“It is always encouraging to see our ex-students and youth doing well after their release, be it pursuing further studies or finding stable jobs.”
– DAC Luke Leong, recipient of the Singapore Government Scholarship (Undergraduate) and the MHA Scholarship (Postgraduate)
Fifteen years into his career with the SPS, the 39-year-old’s sense of purpose remains strong – first sparked during an internship with the organisation as a young adult where he was moved by the people he met, both officers and inmates.
“I saw for myself how officers had the conviction, courage and care to be “Captains of Lives” for inmates under their charge. At the same time, inmates who remained disciplined and motivated to change had the opportunities to do so,” he recalls.
That led him to apply for the MHA Uniformed Scholarship, through which he was awarded the Singapore Government Scholarship tier and went on to study philosophy, politics and economics at the University of York in Britain.
Throughout his career, DAC Leong has held various roles across policy work and ground operations in SPS as well as a secondment to MHA.
One career highlight was helping to develop the Pre-Release Centre, where inmates who have a high risk of reoffending undergo intensive intervention in the last 10 months of incarceration, to prepare them for reintegration as well as to reduce the chances of reoffending. The initiative earned him and his team the Home Team Achievement Award in 2015.
In 2022, DAC Leong received an MHA scholarship to pursue a master’s in criminology at the University of Pennsylvania in the US.
“Doing my master’s thesis on the impact of reformative training on young offenders in Singapore has equipped me for my current posting,” he says.
What he learnt there in theory has been reinforced at Institution Tanah Merah, where DAC Leong has seen first-hand that effective rehabilitation also means strengthening the inmate’s wider support system.
This is why SPS promotes family involvement in an inmate’s rehabilitation and reintegration journey, encouraging reconciliation and helping families work through strained relationships.
“When someone comes in for an offence, it’s not just the inmate who is affected; it’s his family as well,” DAC Leong notes. “If we or the families are able to facilitate or inspire change in inmates, there will be a ripple effect to benefit their families and ultimately society.”
