Establishment of the Sentencing Advisory Panel

2 Jun 2022 Posted in Press releases

1. Following the announcement by Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law K Shanmugam SC in his Ministerial Statement on the Review of Sentencing Framework for Sexual and Hurt Offences on 5 March 2021 in Parliament, a Sentencing Advisory Panel (“Panel”) has been established.
   

2. The key function of the Panel is to formulate and publish guidelines on matters relating to sentencing, to promote greater consistency, transparency and public awareness.
   
3. Such guidelines could, for example, propose sentencing approaches for particular offences, including sentencing bands based on harm and culpability, as well as aggravating and mitigating factors. This will provide greater clarity about possible sentencing outcomes and the relevant sentencing factors. In the course of preparing the guidelines, the Panel may consult the relevant stakeholders, where appropriate.
   
4. The Panel’s guidelines may be cited by the Prosecution or the Defence in their arguments before the Courts. The guidelines will not be legally binding on the Courts, which may decide whether to adopt the guidelines in a given case, and if so, how the guidelines should be applied.
   
5. The Panel brings together members with a wide range of experience and expertise. It is chaired by Justice Steven Chong, Justice of the Court of Appeal, and comprises eleven other members from the Judiciary, the Ministry of Law, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Singapore Police Force, the Attorney-General’s Chambers, and the Bar. The list of the Panel members is in the Annex.
   
6. At the Panel’s inaugural meeting, members agreed to study a few areas where guidelines could potentially be useful, including guidelines on general sentencing principles.
   
7. The Panel’s website can be accessed at www.sentencingpanel.gov.sg.

MINISTRY OF LAW
2 JUNE 2022

ANNEX

Last updated on 2 Jun 2022