Written Replies to Parliamentary Questions
Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on the Number of Prisoners who Passed Away from Natural Causes Related to Old Age Over the Past Five Years
1 August 2022
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Question:
Ms Sylvia Lim: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) over the last five years, how many prisoners have passed away due to natural causes related to old age; (b) of these prisoners who have passed away, what are the offences committed for their imprisonment; and (c) what is the age of the oldest prisoner currently incarcerated.
Answer:
Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law:
1. From 1 January 2017 to 31 December 2021, 14 prisoners, aged 65 and above, passed away due to their underlying medical conditions. These medical conditions included cancer, heart disease, and pneumonia.
2. The offences leading to the imprisonment of these 14 prisoners were as follows.
Table caption
Offence | Number of Prisoners |
|---|---|
Drug Consumption | 7 |
Drug Trafficking | 2 |
Causing Death by Rash Act | 1 |
Criminal Intimidation | 1 |
Culpable Homicide Not Amounting to Murder | 1 |
Outrage of Modesty | 1 |
Sexual Penetration of a Minor Under 16 Years of Age | 1 |
3. The age of the oldest prisoner incarcerated as of 30 June 2022 is 90 years old. He was sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment for the offence of unauthorised import or export of a controlled drug and was admitted to prison on 30 April 2014, when he was 82 years old. He is currently staying in the Assisted Living Correctional Unit (ALCU) to mitigate his risk of falling. He has been observed to be fairly independent and does not require any assistance for his daily activities, nor does he display any sign of mental deterioration.