Remission and aftercare amendments to Prisons Act to take effect from July 1

SINGAPORE - New legislative amendments to the Prisons Act regarding remission and former offender aftercare will take effect from Tuesday.

The amendments, which were passed in Parliament in January this year, introduced a Conditional Remission System and Mandatory Aftercare System. The former seeks to deter ex-inmates from re-offending by subjecting them to conditions upon their release, while the latter provides "structured arrangements" for selected groups of ex-offenders in the period immediately after their release.

Those who commit offences on or after Tuesday and are subsequently sentenced to imprisonment will be released from prison based on the Conditional Remission System, and if eligible, will go through the new aftercare system.

The goals of the amendments are to reduce offending and reoffending, as well as improve the rehabilitation and reintegration of ex-offenders into society, the Ministry of Home Affairs said on Monday.

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