The Problem: A Persistent Recidivism Challenge
While I note the welcome decline in the two-year recidivism rate for the 2023 DRC cohort to 26.1%, down from 30.8% the previous year [1]. Yet this still means that more than one in four individuals return to drug abuse within two years of release. Behind these statistics are individuals struggling with challenges we may not be adequately addressing.
The Missing Link: Mental Health
The Ministry of Home Affairs has recognised that repeat drug abusers face significant barriers, the lack of pro-social networks due to being in and out of the system, and difficulty maintaining employment. Yet what remains insufficiently examined is the mental health dimension underlying these challenges.
The 2024 Singapore Health and Lifestyle Survey [2] demonstrate strong links between drug abuse and mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, and insomnia. This suggests that for individuals cycling in and out of the system, losing jobs, and lacking stable support networks, the psychological toll can be devastating, potentially driving them back to the very substances we're trying to help them avoid.
The Data Gap
The Singapore Prison Service attributes recent improvements to "evidence-informed throughcare drug rehabilitation regime" with strong community support [3]. However, evidence-informed approaches require comprehensive data, and we currently lack systematic data on the mental health profiles of those arrested for drug abuse.
I therefore ask the Minister: Does the Ministry plan to collect data on the mental health status of individuals arrested for drug-related offences? If so, will this data be made available to researchers and policymakers to better inform our rehabilitation strategies?
The Way Forward: Integrated Support
Beyond data collection, I urge the Government to strengthen community partnerships that specifically address mental health alongside addiction. Every recovering individual should have ready access to integrated support to help them with their underlying mental health conditions, that may have contributed to their drug use.
Without this, we risk seeing individuals who have served their time in DRC, facing the same psychological struggles that led them to drugs initially.
Conclusion
The decline in recidivism shows progress. Let's build on this momentum by ensuring our approach includes the mental health data and integrated support services to help more individuals break free from addiction for good.
I look forward to the Minister's response.
References:
1. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/recidivism-rate-singapore-prison-service-5917351
