Probation of Offenders (Amendment) Bill

Bill No. 49/1975

Read the first time on 11th November 1975.

An Act to amend the Probation of Offenders Act (Chapter 117 of the Revised Edition).

Be it enacted by the President with the advice and consent of the Parliament of Singapore, as follows: —

Short title and commencement

1. This Act may be cited as the Probation of Offenders (Amendment) Act, 1975, and shall come into operation on such date as the Minister may, by notification in the Gazette, appoint.

Amendment of section 2

2. Section 2 of the Probation of Offenders Act (hereinafter in this Act referred to as “the principal Act”) is hereby amended —

(a)

by inserting immediately after the definition of “approved institution” appearing therein the following: —

“ “Chief Probation Officer” means the person appointed to be the Chief Probation Officer under section 2 of this Act;”;

(a)

by inserting immediately after the definition of “court” appearing therein the following new definitions: —

“ “police officer” has the same meaning as in the Police Force Act [Cap. 78];

“prison officer” has the same meaning as in the Prisons Act and includes the Director of Prisons and a Superintendent of Prisons appointed under that Act;”;

(c)

by deleting the definition of “Principal Probation Officer” appearing therein;

(d)

by deleting the word “and” appearing at the end of the definition of “probation committee” therein;

(e)

by inserting immediately after the definition of “probation committee” appearing therein the following new definition: —

“ “volunteer probation officer” means a person appointed to be a volunteer probation officer under subsection (2) of section 3 of this Act; and”.

Amendment of section 3

3. Section 3 of the principal Act is hereby amended —

(a)

by deleting the word “Principal” wherever it appears therein and substituting therefor in each case the word “Chief”;

(b)

by inserting immediately after subsection (1) thereof the following subsection: —

“(2) The Minister may, on such terms and conditions as he thinks fit, appoint a person who is not employed as a police officer or prison officer to be a volunteer probation officer.”; and

(c)

by renumbering the existing subsections (2) and (3) thereof as subsections (3) and (4) respectively.

Amendment of section 5

4. Subsection (7) of section 5 of the principal Act is hereby deleted and the following substituted therefor: —

“(7) The court by which a probation order is made under this section shall forthwith give copies of the order to the Chief Probation Officer who shall give a copy thereof to —

(a)	the probationer;
(b)	the probation officer or volunteer probation officer who is to be responsible for the supervision of the probationer; and
(c)	the person in charge of any institution in which the probationer is required by the order to reside.”.

Amendment of section 6

5. Section 6 of the principal Act is hereby amended —

(a)

by deleting subsection (1) thereof and substituting therefor the following subsection: —

“(1) The court by which a probation order is made under section 5 of this Act may, upon application made by —

(a)	the probationer; or
(b)	the probation officer or volunteer probation officer who is responsible for the supervision of the probationer,

discharge the order.”;

(b)

by inserting immediately after the word “officer” appearing in the second line of subsection (2) thereof the words “or volunteer probation officer”;

(c)

by deleting subsections (4) and (5) thereof and substituting therefor the following: —

“(4) Where a court discharges or amends a probation order under this section, the clerk to the court shall forthwith give copies of the discharging or amending order to the Chief Probation Officer who shall give a copy thereof to —

(a)	the probationer;
(b)	the probation officer or volunteer probation officer responsible for the supervision of the offender; and

the person in charge of any institution in which the probationer was required by the probation order as originally made or is required by the amending order to reside.

(5) A volunteer probation officer shall not make an application for the discharge or an amendment of a probation order under subsection (1) or (2) of this section, as the case may be, without the prior approval of the Chief Probation Officer.

(6) Where a probation order, whether as originally made under section 5 of this Act or as amended under this section, requires a probationer to reside in an approved institution for a period extending beyond six months form the date of the order as originally made or amended, as the case may be, the probation officer or volunteer probation officer who is responsible for the supervision of the probationer shall, as soon as may be after the expiration of six months from that date, report to the court on the case.”; and

(d)

by renumbering the existing subsections (6) and (7) thereof as subsections (7) and (8) respectively.

Miscellaneous amendments

6. The provisions of the principal Act specified in the first column of the Schedule to this Act are hereby amended in the manner set out in the second column of that Schedule.

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