Juvenile Offenders Admitted into Juvenile Homes since 2013

Dr Chia Shi-Lu asked the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) how many juvenile offenders have been admitted into juvenile homes each year since 2013, by gender; and (b) what is the average length of stay in the homes, by gender.

Under the Children and Young Persons Act, juveniles who commit offences may be ordered by the Youth Court to be sent to a Juvenile Rehabilitation Centre (JRC) or a Place of Detention. Those sent to a Place of Detention are typically also placed on probation.

The Singapore Boys' Home (SBH) and Singapore Girls' Home (SGH) function as both types of facilities. The number of juveniles admitted to SBH and SGH each year is in Table 1 below.

Of the juvenile offenders who were discharged from the JRC between 2013 and 2016, the average duration of stay was 20 months in SBH and 24 months in SGH. In that same period, the average duration of stay for those discharged from a Place of Detention was three weeks each in SBH and SGH.