The activity is part of the International Corrections & Prisons Association (ICPA) Annual Conference, which takes place in Singapore this week. Professor Best has been delivering a series of workshops on recovery capital – the internal and external resources needed in addiction recovery – including applications in carceral facilities. The workshops have been attended by rehabilitation specialists, psychologists and policy makers.

As part of the workshops, Professor Best has shared his insights into social and community capital building, emphasising the importance of community support and challenging stigma for people in recovery. The session has been curated for rehabilitation specialists working with adults and youth in the community.

The programme will end with an engaging consultation session, where Professor Best will meet with research and programme design teams at the Conference to discuss building partnerships and future opportunities.

Professor David Best said: “This has been a wonderful opportunity to share ideas and innovation about prison practices that can generate hope through implementing strengths-based practices for staff and prisoners.

“The overarching goal is to create a sense of connection and meaning and purpose for all participants through evidence-based approaches to addiction recovery and desistance from crime. We are also hoping to build a sustainable partnership between the Singapore Prison Service and the Centre for Addiction Recovery Research at Leeds Trinity University.”

Troy Thevathasan, Deputy Director of Correctional Rehabilitation Services at the Singapore Prison Service and Head of the Programme Sub-Committee for the local organising committee of the ICPA annual conference 2024, said: “The conference theme, Enabling Desistance: Beyond Recidivism, focuses on enabling ex-offenders to desist from crime and drugs permanently. We were keen to engage Professor David Best as a keynote speaker, as his work on addiction recovery and desistance resonates with the concerns of local attendees at this year’s conference.

“Professor Best’s experiences and research on community capital reinforce the importance of social networks and social bonds in supporting sustainable positive outcomes for people in recovery to live crime-free and meaningful lives after incarceration.”

Salina Binte Samion, Deputy Director of the Psychological Research, Operations & Programme Design at the Singapore Prison Service said: “Besides being a leading authority in criminology, Professor David Best’s interdisciplinary research has provided us invaluable insights to investigate the complexities of addiction recovery and desistance from crime.

“We are fortunate to have had Professor Best share his expertise with us look forward to collaborating on research projects and programmes that will support Singapore Prison Service’s efforts to assist offenders to desist from a life of crime and drugs, through evidence-informed programmes that start in our prisons and drug rehabilitation centres, and importantly, continue after they have returned to the community.”

Professor David Best shared more of his work, the context around it and how he came to be a Professor of Addiction Recovery in his Inaugural Professorial Lecture at Leeds Trinity University in 2023. The lecture can be watched online.