Exercise of Prosecutorial Discretion in the Administration of Criminal Justice in Singapore (From Resource Material Series, Number 22, P 148-156, 1982 - See NCJ-94945)

• NCJ Number: 94957
• Author(s): E A Pereira
• Date Published: 1982
• Length: 9 pages
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United Nations

Annotation

The legal position of prosecutorial discretion in Singapore is examined, and the types of agreements between the prosecutor and the defense counsel are discussed.

Abstract

In Singapore, all criminal prosecutions are conducted in the name of the public prosecutor and in accordance with the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code. The attorney general appoints deputy public prosecutors to act as his deputies in the performance of the functions of the public prosecutor. These deputies have wide powers in criminal justice administration, particularly in their exercise of discretion in deciding whether or not to prosecute. However, there is some overlap in certain cases between the exercise of prosecutorial discretion and plea bargaining by the deputy public prosecutor. Examples of some of the agreements between the prosecution and the defense are a reduction of the original charge to a less serious one, withdrawal of other charges against the accused, and consideration of other charges for the purpose of sentencing but not for trial purposes. No fixed guidelines should be established for this system because to do so would infringe upon the prosecutor's discretion, which is an important attribute of his role in the criminal justice system. Seventeen references are included.