DRUG SUPERVISION IN SINGAPORE: A CHALLENGE TO IDENTITY AND RELATIONAL DESISTANCE

Abstract

This thesis contends that lengthening the maximum period of drug supervision in accordance with the Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Act 2019 is highly problematic and can hinder efforts at desistance – a process in which offenders move towards a sustained state of non-offending. It aims to uncover the contradictions of the urine testing regime and understand its effects on processes of desistance among drug abusers. As such, the overarching research questions include: 1) What are drug abusers’ perceptions of and experiences with urine testing? and 2) How does the extension of drug supervision in accordance to the Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Act 2019 affect desistance outcomes? Moreover, this study seeks to elucidate factors that enabled successful desistance. Using a combined framework of Nugent’s and Schinkel’s (2016) three spheres of act, identity, and relational desistance as well as a theory of social capital, this thesis found that urine supervision has not done much to help drug abusers in their desistance and reintegration journeys; in fact, it has promoted the expansion of state control and surveillance instead. Success stories also surfaced through in-depth interviews with nine drug abusers, and a deeper analysis revealed that bridging social capital functioned as a critical enabler of their desistance.