SINGAPORE: The new Criminal Procedure Code (CPC) 2010 passed by Singapore's Parliament on 19 May is now law.
The CPC 2010 was gazetted on 21 June after President SR Nathan
gave his assent to the Bill on 10 June.
A key feature of the new code is the wide range of community-based
sentencing options for judges.
The Bill introduces five types of community-based sentences.
These include a mandatory treatment order, a day reporting order and a
short detention order.
Another key provision of the Bill is increased jurisdiction of
Magistrates Courts to hear offences which carry the maximum jail term of
five years.
There are also safeguards for the use of lethal force by the police and
prosecution and defence exchanging statements in criminal trials to
better prepare for the hearing.
The provisions of the new Bill were laid out for public consultation in
December 2008 and it involved extensive consultations with key
stakeholders - including lawyers and academia - as well as table-top
exercises.
Also gazetted two days ago is the new Coroners Bill which spells out the
role of the Coroner in Singapore's justice system.
Currently, the Coroner's Inquiry is a quasi-criminal one in nature.
The Coroner also investigates the cause and circumstances of certain
deaths and identifies those who may be criminally responsible.
This is set to change under the provisions of the new Bill which
proposes to move the Coroner's Inquiry away from a fault-finding regime
to a fact-finding one.
So the Coroner will focus on ascertaining the facts and circumstances
behind a death, instead of apportioning blame.
- CNA/ir
Lets welcome the new law.