In Singapore, prison guards are 'Captains of lives'

The Singapore Prison Service recently completed a six-week staggered release of three mini films that portray its employees as 'Captains of lives'—kindly officers who play a role more akin to a life coach than what probably comes to your mind when you hear the term 'prison gaurd'.

The three films, which feature actual SPS employees, follow the steps of one male offender's experience, from his life of crime to his incarceration and on through his reintegration into his family and community. While all three films obviously have recruitment as a goal, the third one in particular promotes being a 'captain of lives' as a career one might aspire to.

The films are well made and do their job of involving you in the man's story despite some clunky moments. They have stuck with Ad Nut even though the campaign ran in January and February, which is why Ad Nut decided to share them now (Ad Nut usually sticks to covering brand-new work).

Do the films accurately portray the reality of the prison experience for Singapore offenders? Ad Nut has no idea, but would very much like to believe they are 100% accurate. And if so, Ad Nut wishes more jurisdictions would truly see their prison systems as 'services' that are dedicated to the people who come into their custody, rather than to retribution or—worse yet—the profit motive.

The SPS engaged Onedash22 for production. The films were each promoted with paid ads leading people to a trailer, and then the client retargeted those who watched the trailers to encourage them to view the full films. The campaign also included social media and media outreach as well as OOH ads.