Tanah Merah Prison, 2009, Singapore. Wong Maye-E/AP/Press Association Images. All rights reserved.When one advocates for the abolishment of the death penalty, any perceived retreat from capital punishment can seem like a victory. Any change that allows for lives to be saved from the execution chamber is a positive one. But there are times when the shifts made are not only inadequate, but throw up more questions and problems to be resolved.
In November 2012, the Parliament of Singapore made amendments to the mandatory death penalty regime. Before then, the death penalty for drug trafficking was completely mandatory; an individual found guilty of trafficking under the Misuse of Drugs Act could only be put to death, with the judge unable to consider any mitigating circumstances.
