NCJ Number
99093
Date Published
1984
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This paper describes Singapore's handling of juvenile offenders and status offenders, the juvenile court's philosophy, juvenile court powers, juvenile probation, and institutional and noninstitutional forms of juvenile treatment.
Abstract
Singapore law distinguishes between predelinquent behavior (status offenses) and delinquent behavior (behavior that is a crime if committed by an adult). The law permits sending status offenders to social welfare homes under specified conditions. Supervision by a probation officer is also permitted. In the case of juvenile offenders, police discretion determines the number and types of cases that proceed to juvenile court. The juvenile court determines whether or not a child has committed an offense and then focuses its adjudication upon the needs of the offender rather than the severity of the crime. A multidisciplinary advisory board presents treatment recommendations to the court. The law requires that children in police custody be separated from adult offenders and that juvenile hearings be closed to the public. Probation officers prepare reports bearing upon offender background and character relevant to the court's disposition. Probation is the favored form of noninstitutional treatment, and institutional treatment includes vocational training, education, recreation, community service, religious guidance, and counseling. Parole and aftercare are also provided for institutionalized juveniles. A program introduced in 1971 uses volunteers in probation and aftercare work. Residential facilities for delinquent and status offenders are listed and briefly described. Data are presented in five tables.