Search within Legislation

Search Results

Prisons Act

(Chapter 247, Section 4)

Prisons (Lock-ups) Regulations

Rg 1

REVISED EDITION 1990

(25th March 1992)

[6th January 1939]

Citation

1. These Regulations may be cited as the Prisons (Lock-ups) Regulations.

Definitions

2. In these Regulations unless the context otherwise requires —

“Commissioner of Police” has the same meaning as in the Police Force Act;

[Cap.235]

“prisoner” includes any person whether convicted or not who is confined in a lock-up.

General charge and administration of lock-ups

3.—(1) The general charge and administration of lock-ups and the control of police officers in charge of or attached to lock-ups shall be vested in the Commissioner of Police.

(2) The Commissioner of Police shall appoint by office a police officer to be the Chief Rehabilitation Officer of each lock-up and such Chief Rehabilitation Officer shall be responsible for the due observance of these Regulations.

Prisoners deemed to be in legal custody

4. Every prisoner confined in a lock-up shall be deemed to be in the legal custody of the Chief Rehabilitation Officer thereof.

Condition of cells in lock-ups

5. The cells in lock-ups shall be thoroughly inspected daily, whether occupied or not, to ensure that they are clean and that sanitary arrangements are in a satisfactory condition. The whole lock-up area shall be frequently washed out, and sleeping places and toilets shall be disinfected regularly.

Inspection of cells

6. An officer shall be detailed daily by the Chief Rehabilitation Officer to carry out such inspection and to visit cells at least once each night to see that they are secure, to check the prisoners and to ensure that the lock-ups guards are alert at their posts.

Meals in lock-ups

7. Such officer shall see that meals are served regularly, that the food supplied is of good quality, that prisoners arriving irregularly are not left fasting for unreasonably long periods, that the occupants of cells are not in possession of unauthorised or dangerous articles and that in bailable cases, release on bail is not unduly delayed.

Meal times

8. Meals shall be supplied to prisoners at 6.30 a.m., 1.00 p.m. and 5.00 p.m. on the scales in use in prisons.

Report of apparent insanity or illness

9. The Chief Rehabilitation Officer or the officer in immediate charge of a lock-up shall without delay report to the medical officer any case of apparent insanity and the illness of any prisoner.

Procedure in case of death or dangerous illness

10. The Chief Rehabilitation Officer or the officer in immediate charge of a lock-up shall, upon the dangerous illness or death of any prisoner, give or cause to be given immediate notice thereof to the most accessible known relative of such prisoner.

Lock-up occurrence book

11. A lock-up occurrence book shall be kept in the following form in respect of each lock-up:

Change over of officers in charge

12.—(1) Whenever an officer in immediate charge of a lock-up is relieved, the occurrence book shall be balanced by ruling a red line across the page, and the total of columns 6, 7 and 8 deducted from the total of columns 4 and 5, thus showing the number of prisoners who ought then to be in the lock-up. The relieving officer shall, after checking the prisoners, certify in the occurrence book the number taken over.

(2) The lock-up occurrence book shall be similary balanced when meals are served.

Visiting book

13. All officers visiting lock-ups for any purpose shall sign in the lock-up visiting book and record therein the number of prisoners present at the time of their visit.

Roster of prisoners

14. A roster of prisoners by race shall be maintained up-to-date either on a black-board provided for the purpose or in the occurrence book and in addition the following details may be recorded:

	day and night arrivals, i.e. before and after 6 p.m.;
	prisoners fined only;
	prisoners for civil prison;
	prisoners for criminal prison;
	prisoners charged;
	prisoners detained; and
	lunatics.

Dangerous, objectionable or drunken prisoners

15. Whenever possible, dangerous, objectionable and drunken prisoners shall not be placed in cells in which well conducted prisoners are confined. Dangerous prisoners associated in serious crime shall be confined in separate cells if possible. Sentries shall be posted, if necessary.

Juvenile prisoners

16. Juvenile prisoners shall on no account be mixed with adult prisoners and prisoners arrested on warrants in civil cases who cannot forthwith be removed to civil prison shall not be locked up with prisoners arrested for criminal offences.

Female prisoners

17. The arrival of female prisoners shall always be reported to the Director as soon as possible. Female prisoners shall be placed in cells reserved exclusively, for the time being, for female prisoners. The keys of such cells shall be kept on the person of the officer in immediate charge of the lock-up. This officer shall not hand over the key or the prisoner except on the order of the Director when the prisoner is being taken to Court.

Cells for female prisoners

18. Cells in which female prisoners are detained shall, if necessary, be screened to ensure reasonable privacy.

Clothing

19. A supply of clothing shall be maintained for use by prisoners whose own clothing is in an unsuitable condition or by prisoners whose own clothing is wet, or an exhibit in a case. Such clothing shall be washed and disinfected after use on every occasion.

Treatment of prisoners admitted under influence of alcohol

20. Prisoners admitted under the influence of alcohol shall be carefully examined before being placed in cells. If there is any doubt whatever that the prisoner’s condition is not wholly due to alcohol, the prisoner shall be medically examined before being locked up.

Prisoners requiring special treatment

21. Prisoners admitted under the influence of alcohol shall have any tight clothing loosened and shall be placed in a position where they will do themselves no harm. Prisoners charged with attempted suicide or admitted in a state of mind where attempted suicide is a possibility, shall be relieved of all items of apparel capable of being used for self strangulation or other methods of self destruction. Dangerous prisoners shall be relieved of any items which may assist a homicidal intention. Lunatics or suspected lunatics shall be relieved of anything capable of harming themselves or others.

Examination of prisoners described in regulation 20

22. Prisoners described in regulation 20 shall be visited frequently and shall be carefully examined at least once in every hour.

Unauthorised communication

23. No police officer shall make any unauthorised communication concerning any prisoner to any person whatever.

No entry unless accompanied into cells by another police officer

24. No police officer shall enter a prisoner’s cell at night without being accompanied by another police officer except in cases of imperative necessity.

No communication with prisoners

25.—(1) No police officer shall unnecessarily converse with a prisoner, or by word, gesture or demeanour do anything which may tend to irritate a prisoner.

(2) No police officer shall correspond with or communicate with the friends or relatives of any prisoner unless expressly authorised by the Chief Rehabilitation Officer or the senior officer in charge.

No physical force

26. No subordinate police officer or constable shall strike a prisoner unless compelled to do so in self-defence or in defence of another person.

Fee or gratuities forbidden

27. No officer shall receive any fee or gratuity on behalf of any prisoner or any visitor to any prisoner, and shall have no money dealings whatever with any prisoner.

Information in notices to be displayed

28. Notices, printed in English, Malay, Chinese and Tamil, setting forth the facilities which must be afforded to persons in custody as regards communicating with friends or lawyers, the granting of bail, the provision of medical assistance, etc., shall be displayed near the entrance to every lock-up. In all cases in which it is proper or necessary to do so, the contents of this notice, or whatever portions of it are appropriate, must be communicated, in a language which they understand, to all persons detained in custody. If they so desire, educated persons should be afforded an opportunity of reading the notice before being placed in the lock-up.

Custody of duplicate keys

29. The duplicate keys of all lock-ups and cells, properly labelled, shall be kept in the safe of the officer-in-charge of the division.

REGULATIONS APPLICABLE TO LOCK-UPS APPOINTED FOR THE CONFINEMENT OF PERSONS SENTENCED TO UNDERGO IMPRISONMENT

Examination by medical officer

30. A medical officer shall examine every prisoner and certify on the commitment warrant whether he is fit for any imprisonment ordered, as early as possible after admission.

Medical officer’s journal

31. He shall keep a journal in which shall be entered periodically his comments on the state of the lock-up and the prisoners.

Food and mental condition

32. He shall notify the Chief Rehabilitation Officer of the case of any prisoner whose mind appears likely to be injuriously affected. He shall frequently examine the food of the prisoners.

Opinion of medical officer

33. Whenever the medical officer is of the opinion that the life of any prisoner will be endangered by his continuance in the lock-up or that any sick prisoner will not survive any sentence which he is serving or is totally and permanently unfit for confinement in a lock-up he shall state his opinion and the grounds thereof in writing to the Chief Rehabilitation Officer, who shall duly forward the opinion and grounds to the Commissioner of Police for transmission to the Minister. If recommended by the medical officer, any prisoner may be transferred in custody to the nearest hospital at any time.

Punishment

34. The Chief Rehabilitation Officer shall keep a punishment book for the entering of the punishments inflicted for offences under these Regulations.

Police officer, no power to punish

35. No police officer shall punish a prisoner except when ordered to do so by the Chief Rehabilitation Officer.

Prison clothes

36. On admission every prisoner who has been sentenced to any term of imprisonment shall be dressed in prison clothes.

Examination of prisoner sentenced to punishment

37. The medical officer appointed under section 13 of the Act shall examine every prisoner sentenced to punishment for any offence before any such punishment is carried out and shall certify whether in his opinion that punishment can be inflicted without the probability of serious or permanent injury being caused thereby. He shall visit the lock-up to examine new admissions and at other times on the requisition of the Chief Rehabilitation Officer.

Discharged of prisoners

38. On the discharge of a prisoner who has served a sentence of imprisonment his own clothes shall be returned to him unless it has been found necessary to destroy them, in which case he shall be provided with such clothing as is suitable.

Date of release

39. If the date of release of a prisoner who has been serving a sentence of imprisonment falls on a Sunday or on a gazetted public holiday, the prisoner shall be released on the preceding Saturday or on the day preceding such public holiday, as the case may be.