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Events President's Message
President's Message
The successful reintegration of discharged ex-offenders into society is a daunting task. An ex-offender attempting to transit from prison life to living in his community - especially after serving a lengthy sentence - comes up against multiple barriers. Finding employment, overcoming stigmatisation, and even being accepted by one's own family are issues faced by people bearing the burden of a criminal past.
It is the individual himself who must first take responsibility for his rehabilitation and accordingly, an ex-offender's reformation is dependent upon his willingness to effect a change in his life. If successfully achieved, the end result is a person who has the ability to be productive, effective and contributing to society again.
However, society - that is all of us - must realize that we too have a pivotal role to play in the successful reintegration of our fellow-citizens. For without acceptance, an individual will lapse into a mindset that he has no future and no way out. This warped reality results in a sense of hopelessness and he often resorts to harmful behaviour against the society which he believes has rejected him. The temptation to revert to crime then becomes harder to resist.
Our re-acceptance will go a long way in aiding the ex-offender regain his sense of self-respect and worth. This in turn will open up a whole new world of dreams and aspirations for people like him. From here, there is nothing to stop him from, in turn, helping other less fortunate members of society get back on their feet.
