Plain answers to common legal questions
General information on Singapore law, written in everyday language. Read up before you decide anything, then speak with a lawyer about your own situation.
Criminal law guides
What happens after a police call, an arrest or a charge.
Investigation and arrest
3 articles
What happens when the police call you in to give a statement?
A plain guide to police interviews in Singapore: why you are being asked in, what you must and need not answer, the cautioned statement, and checking your statement before you sign.
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How do bail and personal bonds work after an arrest?
What police bail and court bail are, who can stand as a bailor, the usual conditions, and what happens if the accused does not turn up.
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What does a stern or conditional warning mean for you?
The difference between a stern warning and a conditional warning, whether either gives you a criminal record, and what happens if you reoffend.
Read the guideGoing to court
3 articles
What happens in court after you are charged?
An outline of the criminal court process in Singapore, from the first mention to pleading guilty or claiming trial, and what happens at a trial.
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Can you ask the prosecution to reduce or drop your charges?
How letters of representation to the Attorney-General’s Chambers work, what they can ask for, when to send them and what outcomes are possible.
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What is a mitigation plea and how does it affect your sentence?
What a mitigation plea is, the factors courts commonly take into account, the supporting documents that help, and the mistakes to avoid.
Read the guideRecords and drug offences
2 articles
When does a criminal record become spent in Singapore?
How the spent record rules under the Registration of Criminals Act work, who qualifies, and what a spent record means when you are asked about your past.
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Possession, consumption or trafficking: how do the drug presumptions work?
An outline of the main offences under the Misuse of Drugs Act and the legal presumptions that can apply in possession, trafficking and consumption cases.
Read the guideDidn't find your question?
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