SINGAPORE: Singapore aims to jail “high-risk” and violent offenders indefinitely under legislation proposed on Wednesday.
The “civil protection enhanced sentencing” clause in the bill introduced in parliament is aimed at ensuring that convicted criminals continue to show signs of reoffending even after serving their sentences.
“How can governments better protect the public from such dangerous criminals who pose a significant risk of serious physical and/or sexual harm to others, especially vulnerable members of our society? ”The ministries and agencies said in a joint statement.
“We want to ensure that these dangerous, high-risk offenders are not released back into the community until they no longer pose a threat to public safety.”
The law applies to offenders convicted of serious violent crimes, such as murder or rape, or sex crimes.
The law recommends a minimum sentence of five to 20 years in prison, but that would be decided by the court.
High-risk offenders should only be released if the Home Secretary determines they no longer pose a threat to the public.
“Current sentencing options are inadequate to deal with such egregious crimes,” the departments said.
“For crimes that do not result in a life sentence, all currently available sentencing options mandate automatic release at a certain point, regardless of the threat to others.”
Lawmakers are expected to debate the proposed tougher measures, but no date has been set.