LCCS Journey With Sameer
How did my journey with Sameer begin? Sameer* , 22, a youth offender serving his sentence in the Changi Prison, was sitting alone in the room. Tattoos covered almost his entire body. He was waiting to meet me, his ‘My Journey’ facilitator. Upon entering the room, I smiled and shook his hand. After ten minutes into our conversation, he suddenly asked , “ What do you think of me? ” He paused, concerned if I was affected by his tattoos. Sensing his discomfort, I replied in a light-hearted tone, “ Hey Sameer, I am fine with your tattoos. I am happy to see you today. I’d like to introduce to you this new program called My Journey .” He then nodded his head and began to feel more at ease with me. At that time, I had no inkling that his tattoos were not just merely modern decorative body art, but its designs and symbols were indicative of his past journey with a secret society indulging in drugs and perpetrating violence. Why was Sa...