New sentencing regimes for public protection take effect in final phase of commencement of Criminal Procedure (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act 2024

27 August 2026

On 31 July 2026, the final phase of commencement under the Criminal Procedure (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act 2024 (“Act”) took effect. The final phase brings into operation the new Sentence for Enhanced Public Protection (“SEPP”) and Sentence for Public Protection (“SPP”) regimes.

The Act, which was passed in Parliament on 5 February 2024, advances Singapore’s criminal justice system and contains various amendments aimed at (i) protecting the public by strengthening levers to tackle crime, including serious sexual crime, and (ii) enhancing transparency, fairness, and coherence in Singapore’s criminal court processes.

In a press release issued on 28 July 2026, the Ministry of Law (“MinLaw”) explained that, in the final phase, MinLaw and the Ministry of Home Affairs will commence the SEPP and SPP regimes on 31 July 2026. The regimes will apply to offences committed on or after 31 July 2026.

With the coming into force of these provisions, all provisions of the Act have fully come into force.

SEPP

The SEPP aims to better protect the public from offenders who commit serious violent or sexual offences with a substantial risk of re-offending. SEPP allows such offenders to be detained for as long as is needed for public safety, while ensuring safeguards such as expert risk assessments and regular reviews of the offender’s suitability for release are in place.

Under SEPP, an offender will be detained for a minimum term of between five and 20 years, as determined by the court. At the end of the minimum term, the offender will only be released if assessed by the Minister for Home Affairs to no longer pose a threat to the public. This is unlike a sentence of imprisonment, corrective training (“CT”), or preventive detention (“PD”) where the offender must be released after serving the fixed term imposed by the court.

If assessed to remain a threat to the public, the offender will not be released at that point. The offender’s suitability for release will continue to be reviewed regularly, and detention may continue for as long as necessary for public protection, up to life. If assessed to no longer be a threat to the public, the offender will be released on licence and subject to certain conditions. The offender may be unconditionally discharged thereafter, if appropriate.

Given its serious consequences, SEPP is limited to offenders aged 21 or above at the time of the offence. The use of SEPP must be justified to the court, which must be satisfied that SEPP is in the interests of the protection of the public before it is imposed.

SPP

The SPP will replace the existing CT and PT regimes, and is aimed at recalcitrant offenders. The court may impose SPP for a fixed term of between five and 20 years. An offender may be released on licence after serving two-thirds of the sentence. Unlike the SEPP, he or she must be released after serving the fixed term of the sentence.

Further details of the SEPP and SPP can be found in the Annex to the press release.

Reference materials

The following materials are available on the MinLaw website www.mlaw.gov.sg and Government Gazette www.egazette.gov.sg: