Prisons (Amendment) Regulations 2025 - Singapore Statutes Online

No. S 198

Prisons Act 1933

Prisons (Amendment)
Regulations 2025

In exercise of the powers conferred by section 84 of the Prisons Act 1933, the Minister for Home Affairs makes the following Regulations:

Citation and commencement

1. These Regulations are the Prisons (Amendment) Regulations 2025 and come into operation on 1 April 2025.

New Part I heading

2. In the Prisons Regulations (Rg 2), before regulation 1, insert —

“PART I

PRELIMINARY”.

New regulation 2

3. In the Prisons Regulations, after regulation 1, insert —

“Definitions

2. In these Regulations —

“Institutional Discipline Advisory Committee”, in relation to a prison, means the Institutional Discipline Advisory Committee appointed for the prison under regulation 73A;

“legal adviser” means a regulated legal practitioner as defined in section 2(1) of the Legal Profession Act 1966;

“Prison Standing Orders” means the Prison Standing Orders issued by the Commissioner under section 21 of the Act.”.

Replacement of Part I

4. In the Prisons Regulations, replace Part I with —

“PART IA

COMMISSIONER

Duties of Commissioner

3. The Commissioner must —

(a)

inspect, or direct the inspection of, every prison annually;

(b)

ensure that the following are complied with:

(i)	the Act;
(ii)	these Regulations;
(iii)	the Prisons (Prison Officers Reward Fund) Regulations (Rg 3);
(iv)	the Prisons (Lock‑ups in Specified Court Houses) Regulations 2011 (G.N. No. S 595/2011);
(v)	the Prisons (Advisory Committees) Regulations 2014 (G.N. No. S 448/2014);
(vi)	the Prison Standing Orders; and

(c)

submit, or cause to be submitted, to the Minister as early as possible in each year, a report on the custody and rehabilitation of prisoners for the preceding year, giving statistics in any form that may be required.

Referral to Institutional Discipline Advisory Committee

4.—(1) If a Superintendent of a prison has —

(a)	ordered a prisoner to undergo corporal punishment under section 71(1)(a) of the Act; and
(b)	notified the Commissioner under section 71(2) of the Act of the facts of the case and the punishment imposed,

the Commissioner must refer the case to an Institutional Discipline Advisory Committee for the prison for its opinion on whether the punishment imposed on the prisoner is excessive.

(2) The Commissioner must consider the opinion of the Institutional Discipline Advisory Committee in making a decision under section 71(3) of the Act.”.

Replacement of regulations 5 to 17

5. In the Prisons Regulations, replace regulations 5 to 17 with —

“General duties of Superintendent

5.—(1) Without limiting section 24 of the Act or any other duties of the Superintendent in these Regulations, the Superintendent of a prison must —

(a)

ensure that the prison is administered in accordance with the Act, these Regulations and the Prison Standing Orders;

(b)

ensure that each prison staff complies with all written laws and the Prison Standing Orders, relating to a prisoner or the prison;

(c)

ensure that the prison is maintained in a clean and sanitary condition;

(d)

maintain —

(i)	the safety, security and good order of the prison; and
(ii)	the safety, security and discipline of any person in the prison; and

(e)

ensure the humane and fair treatment of every prisoner in the prison.

(2) In this regulation, “prison staff”, in relation to a prison, means any of the following persons who is deployed to the prison:

(a)	an auxiliary police officer;
(b)	a medical officer;
(c)	a prison officer;
(d)	a public officer;
(e)	any other person employed by or seconded to the Singapore Prison Service.

Inspection of prison

6.—(1) The Superintendent of a prison must, as far as practicable, inspect (or ensure that a person authorised by the Superintendent inspects) the prison daily (except on a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday).

(2) The Superintendent of a prison or the person authorised by the Superintendent (as the case may be) must hear and deal with any request or complaint in relation to the prison or the treatment or safety of a prisoner in the prison, made by a prisoner during an inspection.

Complaints and requests

7. The Superintendent of a prison must —

(a)	ensure that every prisoner in the prison who wishes to make a complaint or request to a prison officer or a Visiting Justice is given a reasonable opportunity to do so; and
(b)	as soon as practicable, inquire into any complaint or request by a prisoner in the prison that is made, referred or reported to the Superintendent.

Security of prisoners’ cells

8. The Superintendent of a prison must ensure that prison officers regularly inspect the cells of prisoners in the prison to —

(a)	check the security of the cells and take appropriate measures to address any security risk identified; and
(b)	check for any unauthorised item, which must be removed from the cell.

Period when prisoners unlocked from cells

9.—(1) The Superintendent of a prison must determine the period during which a prisoner in the prison is unlocked from the prisoner’s cell.

(2) For the purposes of paragraph (1), the Superintendent of the prison may determine different periods for different categories of prisoners.

Authorised visitors to prison

10.—(1) Subject to the orders of the Commissioner, the Superintendent of a prison may permit a person who has good reasons, to visit the prison at reasonable hours accompanied by a prison officer or an authorised auxiliary police officer.

(2) A visitor to a prison must not converse or communicate with a prisoner during the visit without the permission of the Superintendent of the prison.

Death or dangerous illness of prisoner

11.—(1) If a prisoner dies in a prison, the Superintendent of the prison must ensure that —

(a)

the death is, as soon as practicable, reported to —

(i)	the police;
(ii)	the Commissioner; and
(iii)	the most accessible known relative of the prisoner; and

(b)

the Chairperson of the Board of Visiting Justices is notified of the death of the prisoner.

(2) If a prisoner in a prison is dangerously ill, the Superintendent of the prison must, as soon as practicable, report this to the most accessible known relative of the prisoner.

Reports to Commissioner

12. The Superintendent of a prison must report to the Commissioner all escapes, serious assaults, attempts to escape or commit a serious assault, outbreaks of disease or any occurrences of an unusual or serious nature in the prison.

Duties of Superintendent in relation to Visiting Justice

13.—(1) The Superintendent of a prison must not accompany a Visiting Justice when the Visiting Justice is visiting the prison.

(2) The Superintendent of a prison must —

(a)	inform the Visiting Justice visiting the prison of any prisoner who has requested to see the Visiting Justice;
(b)	assist the Visiting Justice where necessary for the carrying out of the Visiting Justice’s duties; and
(c)	give the Visiting Justice full access to the prison and to every prisoner in the prison.”.

Deletion of regulation 72

6. In the Prisons Regulations, delete regulation 72.

Replacement of regulations 73A and 73B

7. In the Prisons Regulations, replace regulations 73A and 73B with —

“Institutional Discipline Advisory Committee

73A.—(1) The Minister may appoint one or more Institutional Discipline Advisory Committees for one or more prisons.

(2) An Institutional Discipline Advisory Committee must —

(a)	consider any case that the Commissioner refers to it under regulation 4(1); and
(b)	provide an opinion to the Commissioner on whether any corporal punishment imposed under section 71(1)(a) of the Act is excessive.”.

Replacement of regulation 78

8. In the Prisons Regulations, replace regulation 78 with —

“Standard of grooming for prisoners

78.—(1) Subject to paragraph (3), a prisoner must comply with the standard of grooming that is applicable to the prisoner, as specified in the Prison Standing Orders.

(2) To avoid doubt, the standard of grooming that is applicable to a prisoner under paragraph (1) includes any applicable modification approved on the ground of a religious practice, as specified in the Prison Standing Orders.

(3) The Superintendent of a prison may allow a prisoner in the prison to shave or have the prisoner’s hair cut despite any modification to the standard of grooming mentioned in paragraph (2) that is applicable to the prisoner.”.

Deletion of regulations 88, 90, 91 and 101

9. In the Prisons Regulations, delete regulations 88, 90, 91 and 101.

[G.N. Nos. S 408/2003; S 7/2004; S 609/2004; S 455/2008; S 447/2014; S 533/2018; S 1065/2020; S 35/2022; S 720/2022]

Made on 24 March 2025.

PANG KIN KEONG

Permanent Secretary,
Ministry of Home Affairs,
Singapore.

[MHA 112/2/044; AG/LEGIS/SL/247/2020/1]

(To be presented to Parliament under section 84(3) of the Prisons Act 1933).

Search within Legislation