Abstract

This article examines state justifications for capital punishment in Singapore. Singapore is a unique case study because capital punishment has largely been legitimised and justified by state officials. It illustrates how Singapore justifies capital punishment by analysing official discourse. Discussion will focus on the government’s narrative on capital punishment, which has been primarily directed against drug trafficking. Discussion will focus on Singapore’s death penalty regime and associated official discourse that seeks to justify state power to exercise such penalties, rather than the ethics and proportionality of capital punishment towards drug-related crimes. Critical analysis from a criminological perspective adds to the growing body of literature that seeks to conceptualise social and political phenomena in South-East Asia.

Details

Title
Capital Punishment in Singapore: A Critical Analysis of State Justifications From 2004 to 2018
Author
Ariel Yin Yee Yap; Tan, Shih Joo  VIAFID ORCID Logo 
Pages
133-151
Section
Articles
Publication year
2020
Publication date
2020
Publisher
Queensland University of Technology
ISSN
22027998
e-ISSN
22028005
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5204/ijcjsd.v9i2.1056
ProQuest document ID
2676121096
Copyright
Copyright © 2020. This work is published under https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.