PROBATION OF OFFENDERS (AMENDMENT) BILL

Order for Second Reading read.

4.05 p.m.

The Minister for Social Affairs (Encik Othman Bin Wok): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time."

The Bill before the House seeks to amend the Probation of Offenders Act to provide for the appointment of volunteer probation officers who will be empowered to supervise offenders placed on probation.

Hon. Members of the House may wish to know that the Community Probation Service Scheme was introduced in 1971. Under this Scheme, the Probation and Aftercare Service enrols members of the public as volunteer probation officers to help in the rehabilitation of young offenders whom the courts place on probation. Since the introduction of the Scheme, 347 persons have applied to become volunteer probation officers. So far, 132 persons have been selected. Of this number, 53 have been put on the job and 79 are receiving practical training.

The Ministry's objective in introducing the Community Probation Service was to secure community involvement in probation and aftercare work. Probation as a form of treating offenders works best in a community which understands and accepts its objectives, principles and methods. Furthermore, the Ministry realises that there is a considerable pool of resources and goodwill among ordinary citizens, which could be tapped to assist the Service in its work. Since the implementation of the Scheme, we have found that our trust and confidence in the ability of these people to befriend and guide young people who have gone wrong has not been misplaced. My Ministry intends, therefore, to encourage further community participation and involvement in probation work by strengthening and consolidating the Community Probation Service.

One of the ways in which this can be done is to empower volunteer probation officers the legal responsibility for supervising probationers. Up to now, volunteer probation officers have been acting as Welfare Assistants to our departmental probation officers, and they have no powers under the Act to supervise probationers. They only supplement the work of our own officers by increasing the frequency of contacts with probationers at their places of work, schools, homes or elsewhere. The Bill before the House is designed to vest volunteer probation officers with statutory powers to enable them to work closely with our own officers in supervising probationers, thus enhancing their effectiveness besides strengthening the Probation and Aftercare Service. The volunteers will handle the less problematic cases with the necessary guidance from the Department. Our own officers could then concentrate on the more difficult cases and the preparation of comprehensive and evaluative presentence reports for the consideration of the courts.

Clause 3 of the Bill provides for the appointment of volunteer probation officers by the Minister from amongst persons who are not employed as Police Officers or Prison Officers. Initially, the Ministry intends to be very selective in the appointment of voluntary probation officers. Only those who have demonstrated the right attitude towards the job and the aptitude to work with offenders will be appointed.

Clause 4 amends subsection (7) of section 5 of the Act which will enable the Chief Probation Officer to make available a copy of the probation order of the court to the volunteer probation officer if such a person has been assigned to supervise the probationer.

Clause 5 amends section 6 of the Act and provides for the vesting in a volunteer probation officer, the same respective powers and duties as a probation officer would have under section 6 of the Act if the latter had been appointed to supervise the probationer instead. In addition, the clause empowers a volunteer probation officer to apply to a court for the discharge or an amendment of a probation order, with the proviso that he must first seek the approval of the Chief Probation Officer before applying for such a discharge or amendment of the order.

Finally, clause 6 amends sections 4, 5 and 13 of the Act to provide that:-

(a) the work of a volunteer probation officer may be reviewed by a Probation Committee appointed by the Minister under section 4 of the Act;

(b) a court may appoint, under section 5 of the Act, a volunteer probation officer to be responsible for the supervision of a probationer;

(c) another volunteer probation officer or probation officer may be selected to supervise a probationer, if the volunteer probation officer originally assigned to his supervision is unable to carry out his duties for any reason, if the Probation Committee considers it desirable that another person should be appointed to supervise the probationer;

(d) female volunteer probation officers may be appointed to supervise female persons under the Act; and

(e) rules may be made which prescribe the duties of volunteer probation officers.

Sir, I beg to move.

Question put, and agreed to.

Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House.

The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill.-[Encik Othman Bin Wok].

Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed.