Second tranche of amendments to Prisons Act to take effect from 1 June 2026

1. Amendments to the Prisons Act were passed in Parliament on 11 January 2022 to improve inmates’ rehabilitation and reintegration outcomes, and enable the Singapore Prison Service (“SPS”) to carry out its functions more effectively.

2. The first tranche of amendments came into operation on 2 September 2022.

Second Tranche: Provisions Taking Effect From 1 June 2026

3. The following provisions in the second tranche will take effect from 1 June 2026:

(a) Inclusion of the definition of “auxiliary police officer”, to make clear that they refer to persons appointed as such under relevant sections of the Police Force Act 2004. Auxiliary Police Officers work closely with Prison Officers, enabling SPS to carry out its operations effectively.

(b) Allow the Minister for Home Affairs to appoint places as temporary lock-ups. Currently, the Minister for Home Affairs may appoint lock-ups only at Police stations and court houses, where capacity is limited. In the event of a mass arrest, such as during a public order incident, this provision will allow the Minister to appoint additional places as temporary lock-ups, so that all arrested persons can be held at centralised locations. This would facilitate security, investigations, and post-event actions, including prosecution.

4. Please refer to Annex for more information on the amendments to the Prisons Act. There remains one amendment which will take effect at a later date.

Annexes

1. Press Release on First Reading of the Prisons (Amendment) Bill 2022

2. Second Reading Speech on the Prisons (Amendment) Bill 2022

3. Wrap-Up Speech on the Prisons (Amendment) Bill 2022

4. First tranche of amendments to Prisons (Amendment) Act 2022