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