THERE'S not much an inmate can do for his family while he is in jail, said a former convict who now counsels inmates.
Mr Samuel Chow, 51, was convicted of armed robbery in 1985 and sentenced to 10 years' jail. Now a manager of his own hardware and paint business, he goes to Changi Prison to counsel inmates every month.
He said he encourages inmates not to worry about their families.
Said Mr Chow: 'I tell them to read books or pray so that their minds won't wander. They can't control what's happening outside the prison walls.'
As for family members, the Singapore Prison Service provides remote tele-visit facilities so they may 'visit' inmates at Changi Prison from Cisco Centre2 in Paya Lebar or Queenstown Remand Prison.
An Internet home tele-visit system allows family members to 'visit' inmates from home through Internet broadband video-conferencing.