Today, 338 judges, prosecutors, lawyers and other criminal justice stakeholders involved in the sentencing of offenders participated in the Sentencing Conference 2014– Trends, Tools and Technology. The two-day programme examines the latest sentencing trends as well as developments in sentencing tools and technology.

Participants from six countries attended the Conference, which is held at the Supreme Court Auditorium from 9 to 10 October 2014. The local speakers included The Honourable the Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon and Judges of the Supreme Court of Singapore. Foreign speakers included The Honourable Sir Anthony Hooper, retired Judge of Appeal, England and Wales and The Honourable the Chief Justice Wayne Stewart Martin AC, Supreme Court of Western Australia. The speakers shared with the participants their perspectives in various capacities, i.e. as members of the Bench, the criminal bar, the prosecution, and agencies in charge of rehabilitation of offenders. Some of the topics covered were: “The Art of Sentencing – An Appellate Court Perspective”, “After Sentence is Passed – Restoration & Rehabilitation” and “Recent developments in Sentencing Law and Practice”.

In his opening address delivered on 9 October 2014, The Honourable the Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon said: “The task of sentencing an offender justly is a complex exercise. It is a question that concerns not only the courts but all the stakeholders in the criminal justice system. With the assistance of the Prosecution and the Defence Bar, the courts can expect to be well-placed to discharge their function of imposing the just and appropriate sentence for each case. But the system would be enhanced if the stakeholders kept firmly in mind the goal of ensuring that after the sentence has been served, exoffenders must be re-integrated into mainstream society….”

Two participants shared their thoughts on the programme:

“I'm struck by the commonality of the issues which we confront in our respective jurisdictions and how much we could learn from one another.” ~Chief Justice Wayne Stewart Martin, Supreme Court of Western Australia.

"This is the first sentencing conference of its kind in Singapore. It's a wonderful innovation to bring people from different parts of the legal system, as well people from the region discussing similar problems. It's important for us to obtain a wider perspective of what we do and tend take for granted, because everyone tends to have a solipsistic view of their system. So it's important that we learn from each other." ~Professor Arie Freiberg, Chairman, Sentencing Advisory Council, Victoria, Australia.

About The Organisers

State Courts, Singapore
The mission of the State Courts is to provide an effective and accessible system of justice, inspiring public trust and confidence. Serving local communities in many ways, the State Courts handle more than 95% of all judicial matters in Singapore.

In 2006, then Subordinate Courts were conferred the prestigious Singapore Quality Award. Since then, they have continued to scale greater heights in organisational excellence through transformational changes in the delivery of justice.

As a founding member of the International Consortium for Court Excellence, the State Courts also demonstrated global leadership through the active promotion of the International Framework for Court Excellence. In recognition of these efforts, then Subordinate Courts were conferred the Singapore Quality Award with Special Commendation, the pinnacle award for business excellence, in 2011, and the Public Service Premier Award in 2012.

In 2012, then Subordinate Courts also won the United Nations Public Service Award, the most esteemed international award for excellence in public service. Internationally, the Singapore Judiciary of which the Subordinate Courts are an integral part has proven itself to be in the top league of world judiciaries, by continuing to achieve excellent scores in surveys conducted by several international and reputable organisations, such as the World Bank and the Swiss based International Institute for Management Development.

In 2013, then Subordinate Courts were conferred the Global Performance Excellence Award, under the “Not for Profit” category by the Asia Pacific Quality Organisation. The award encourages organisations to strengthen their strategies and performance to succeed in the fast expanding global market place.

Singapore Academy of Law
The Singapore Academy of Law (the “Academy”) is the promotion and development agency for Singapore’s legal industry. Our vision is to make Singapore the legal hub of Asia.

The Academy aims to drive legal excellence through developing thought leadership, world class infrastructure and legal solutions. We do this by building up the intellectual capital of the legal profession by enhancing legal knowledge, raising the international profile of Singapore law, promoting Singapore as a centre for dispute resolution and improving the efficiency of legal

As a body established by statute, the Academy also undertakes statutory functions such as stakeholding services and the appointment of Senior Counsel, Commissioners for Oath and Notaries Public

The Academy is headed by Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon. We have over 10,000 members comprising members of the Bench, the Bar, Legal Service Officers, corporate counsel, legal academics and foreign lawyers.

More information can be found at www.sal.org.sg.