Sentencing Principles in Singapore, 2nd Edition by Kow Keng Siong | 2019*

Sentencing Principles in Singapore, 2nd Edition by Kow Keng Siong | 2019*

The second edition offers a thorough update on the significant developments in Singapore’s sentencing jurisprudence since the release of the first edition in 2009. Featuring detailed analysis and a newly added chapter on Community Sentences, this edition examines key changes in sentencing law up to January 2019. It incorporates major amendments to important legislation, including the Criminal Procedure Code, Penal Code, and Prisons Act, as well as insights from over 700 sentencing decisions delivered by the Court of Appeal and High Court, including approximately 150 cases establishing sentencing guidelines.

The second edition continues the approach adopted in the first edition by consolidating the extensive body of sentencing decisions and judicial statements into a structured framework of sentencing principles. These principles are presented in a clear and accessible format across four main sections:

(a) General sentencing considerations – examines the fundamental principles and doctrines that form the basis and justification of the sentencing process;

(b) Specific sentencing considerations – analyses the various aggravating and mitigating factors that influence the seriousness of an offence and the resulting sentence;

(c) Sentencing options and legislative sanctions – considers the available sentencing approaches and the factors involved in selecting an appropriate sentencing outcome; and

(d) Sentencing decision – discusses the principles governing the making, modification, and review of sentencing decisions.

About The Author:

Kow Keng Siong graduated with a Bachelor of Laws from the National University of Singapore in 1993 and was admitted to the Singapore Bar in 1994. He later obtained a Master of Laws from Columbia Law School in 2002, where he was recognised as a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar.

Dedicated to criminal justice throughout his career, he has served in various roles including Deputy Public Prosecutor, District Judge, Senior State Counsel, Deputy Chief Prosecutor, and currently Chief Prosecutor with the Crime Division of the Attorney-General’s Chambers.

He is also actively involved in legal education as an adjunct professor at NUS Faculty of Law and has contributed to criminal law publications, including Sentencing Practice in the Subordinate Courts and Evidence in Criminal Trials. His contributions to criminal justice administration have been recognised with the National Day Public Administration Awards (Bronze) in 2004 and (Silver) in 2017.