While most of us were either relaxing at home, or going on house visits during Chinese New Year, quite a few people were safeguarding institutions that can't really get a day off.

One of those people is Rehabilitation Officer Ng Kia Yi.

Here she is.

In a series of Facebook posts by Captains of Lives, they detail what Ng has to deal with during her 12-hour shift at Institution A4, previously known as Changi Women's Prison, Singapore's only women's prison.

Why this?

The post first delved into what made Ng decide to take on this role in the first place.

“I was looking for a job that was less desk-bound, something that gives me the opportunity to interact with others."

She ultimately chose to go down the uniformed officer route.

It was partially due to this recognition of what that entailed, that made working during Chinese New Year not such a big deal for her.

Although Ng did reiterate that her non-Chinese colleagues were more than happy to swap shifts if needed, so that she can spend her CNY at home.

Working a 12-hour shift on CNY obviously comes with some downside, but all in all, Ng expressed her thankfulness for the support she received from her family and colleagues.

"Working on CNY will mean that I will miss out on some gatherings and meals with my family and friends. However, I am thankful that my family and friends are understanding enough and are willing to work around my work schedule to accommodate me."

Support

To appreciate exactly the importance of that 12-hour shift, it is perhaps essential to understand what her job involves.

In CNA Insider's great piece on the women's prison in Singapore, they dived into what an officer represents for the inmates.

"Being a source of comfort might seem a job for counsellors, rather than prison officers. But the latter are now spending more time engaging inmates meaningfully,"

There are facilities in the prison that serve to provide some enjoyment for the inmates, such as pre-recorder television programs.

There's also vocational training behind bars.

According to CNA Insider, the institution includes "an art room and a bakery" as well as a hair salon. With certified courses such as hairdressing, baking and Microsoft Office available as well.

Although manpower isn't optimal during the festive season, some essentials are still in place.

"However, we will still provide essential services, such as issuance of medication, to the inmates."

Emotional support

As mentioned above, the job scope of a prison officer goes far beyond usual stereotypes of baton wielding officers, they also have to engage meaningfully with the inmates.

And for the inmates, holidays represent a far different dynamic from what we might be used to.

According to Ng, inmates might be more emotional during the festive season.

“There are some inmates who are more emotional during festive seasons because of various reasons such as missing their family and that they are unable to celebrate CNY with their loved ones. My colleagues and I are always on the lookout for changes in behaviour in our inmates and finding out if they require someone to talk to.“

And when asked what the biggest misconception about her job, as well as what the main challenges of her job is.

"I think the biggest misconception is that being a Captain of Lives (COL) is just about locking and unlocking of inmates and it is a simple job. Actually, we play a multi-faceted role as a COL - being coaches, disciplinarians and mentors to the inmates under our charge. As women are more expressive, one of the main challenges is learning how to handle and guide them in processing their emotions. Rehabilitation also has to be gender-specific as men and women respond differently in similar situations"

Great.

You can read all five posts over at Captains of Lives' Facebook,

Image collated from COL's Facebook