Singapore's Sentencing (Scams) Bill Would Make Jail or Reformative Training the Default for Scam Offenders Aged 21 and Under
Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs has introduced a bill making reformative training or imprisonment the default for scam and scam-enabling offenders aged 21 and below, after the High Court swapped such sentences for probation.
Singapore wants young people convicted of scam and scam-enabling offences to face reformative training or jail by default. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) introduced the Sentencing (Scams) Bill in Parliament on 3 November, saying Parliament's intent was that courts sentencing these offences "should consider reformative training or imprisonment as primary and default options". According to AsiaOne's reading of the bill, that applies to offenders aged 21 and below in every court except the Youth Court, unless there are exceptional circumstances.
The ruling it answers
On 10 September the High Court published its judgment in Mohamed Erzan Taib Zohri v Public Prosecutor and other appeals, deciding that reformative training or imprisonment should not be the default for young offenders who commit scam-enabling offences. AsiaOne reports that the court allowed four of the six appeals and replaced the reformative training sentences with probation.
Why MHA wants it
In the first half of 2026 the police received an average of 90 scam reports a day, with $2 million lost daily, MHA says. The police investigated more than 1,000 youths in connection with scam reports in 2025, and youth cheating and related offences rose 37%, from 814 in 2024 to 1,114 in 2025.
In MHA's words, "If a deterrent approach is not taken, Singapore's scam and youth offending situation could deteriorate."
The bill still has to be debated and passed in Parliament.
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