NCJ Number
151804
Journal
CJ International Volume: 10 Issue: 5 Dated: (September-October 1994) Pages: 13-19
Date Published
1994
Length
7 pages
Annotation
Singapore has one of the most severe penal codes in the world, with caning and imprisonment mandated for such offenses as theft or robbery, and the country has received negative media publicity since the case of Michael Fay who was caned and imprisoned for spray painting automobiles.
Abstract
Although Singapore has been criticized over the issue of caning in particular and its criminal justice system in general, the country has one of the lowest crime rates in the world. With the exception of serious crime, the overall crime rate in Singapore decreased for the fifth consecutive year in 1993. While housebreaking, vehicle theft, robbery, and snatch theft decreased, serious crimes of murder, assault, and commercial theft increased. The number of murders increased from 42 in 1992 to 58 in 1993, as did the incidence of statutory rape involving girls under 14 years of age. Crime rates in the United States run between 200 and 380 percent higher than those in Singapore; violent crime rates in the United States are between 749 and 1,405 percent higher than those in Singapore. While the author does not necessarily condone the use of corporal punishment, including the act of caning, he contends that high crime rates in the United States and this country's track record on offender rehabilitation do not give the U.S. Government the right to criticize Singapore's criminal justice system. The case of Michael Fay is analyzed in terms of the merits of corporal punishment, accountability, and ignorance of the law. A country survey of the responses of human rights organizations to the Michael Fay incident is included. 4 references