IntroductionHeroin is one of the most commonly abused illicit drugs in Singapore and its users are exposed to a considerable risk of physical harm when they administer the substance via intravenous injection or when accidentally overdosing. Traffickers in heroin also face among the harshest criminal penalties in the world, with a mandatory death penalty in place for convicted of trafficking more than 15g of the substance.The following article is divided into 4 parts. Part I is dedicated to a basic understanding of what heroin is and how it operates onSEE DETAILS

Source: https://www.wired.com/story/dark-web-cannabis-sales-surged-pandemic/What is Cannabis?“Cannabis is the single most versatile herbal remedy, and the most useful plant on Earth. No other single plant contains as wide a range of medically active herbal constituents,” said Dr Ethan Russo, Director of Research and Development for the International Cannabis and Cannabinoids Institute (ICCI). However, despite medical researchers claiming the positive uses of Cannabis, it is ironic that the most dangerous thing about Cannabis is getting caught with it. Cannabis refers to a group of three plants with psychoactive properties – Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica andSEE DETAILS <...

The Power of Science and TechnologyDid you know? There was a time, back in the 1800s, when drugs in Singapore were both accepted and normalized. Opium was a popular drug at that time among Chinese immigrants of various social classes. It was  not only a form of solace and panacea to the poor but also a status symbol to the wealthy. Singapore at that time was a thriving opium distribution centre in Asia.Over the years, many new kinds of drugs such as heroin and morphine began to emerge in theSEE DETAILS

IntroductionWith reports of drug and drug offences weaving themselves into local news from time to time, you may have wondered how exactly forensic scientists managed to identify and quantify the drugs – what more to prove that an accused individual had consumed the drug.Photo taken from https://noys.org/programs/substance-abuse-prevention/illicit-drug-useBefore knowing about the tests involved in illicit drug screening as well as how the different drugs are identified, it is good to know why such drugs are illegal in the first place. Illicit drugs may harm the body in many ways; consumers maySEE DETAILS

About the prosecutorsA fingerprint on a dusty windowsill – the sole evidence used in nabbing the accused of a housebreaking incident. “That case stuck with me because of how meticulous the crime scene experts were,” Ms Grace Lim recalls from her time as a young prosecutor.“I wanted to be a police officer,” she also shares. However, her parents thought that it was a risky job. In turn, she applied for law school, and was pleasantly surprised that “mooting and cross examination were quite fun”.  Following a degree in law atSEE DETAILS

On the 22nd of October 2020, we had the pleasure of engaging with Mr Sunil Sudheesan and Ms Diana Ngiam to learn more about their experience as defence lawyers and the role of forensic science in their practice. Mr Sunil Sudheesan and Ms Diana Ngiam are both practicing criminal lawyers in Quahe Woo & Palmer LLC and had the privilege to work under the guidance of Mr Subhas Anandan. What is the one thing you look forward to in each case?Mr Sudheesan: While a win is ideal, we primarily look towardsSEE DETAILS

On 30 October 2020, we completed our series of seminars by interviewing forensic experts Dr Michael Tay and Ms Lim Chin Chin, who are founding partners of The Forensic Experts Group (“TFEG”). Both have had extensive careers with the HSA and TFEG, and even pioneered the development of Bloodstain Pattern Analysis and Forensic Reconstruction in Singapore. In this seminar, we had the privilege of learning from their wealth of experience.General QuestionsQ: At our previous seminar, Mr Sunil Sudheesan said that he was grateful for TFEG. Was there a specific reasonSEE DETAILS

To ring in the new year, CJC Forensics recently held its inaugural Roundtable Discussion. The aim of the Discussion was for each sub-project to share the various events and publication works undertaken, provide an opportunity for cross-project learning for our own members and to update our members on upcoming events.The event started off with a warm welcome by our advisor, Associate Professor Stella Tan. We are extremely grateful to have Prof Stella with us on the New Year’s Saturday morning!Initiation sharingAfter Professor Stella Tan gave her opening address, Nicole TeoSEE DETAILS

Turning to illicit drugs is like throwing a die, flipping a coin, or even picking a card – it is like gambling. American songwriter Jim Morrison once said “Drugs are a bet with your mind”. You go out for a night of fun and after a couple of pills, you might not know where you would end up the next day. It could work out well, but it could otherwise be disastrous.  Source: https://quotesgram.com/img/jim-morrison-quotes-on-drugs/367239/The War on DrugsThere are primarily seven classifications of drugs: Narcotic Analgesics, Hallucinogens, Central Nervous System (CNS)SEE DETAILS

INTRODUCTIONIn the previous article “Singapore’s Misuse of Drugs Act – A Primer” (https://nuscriminaljustice.com/singapore-misuse…ugs-act-a-primer/), the basic statutory rules governing certain offences set out in the Misuse of Drugs Act, that of possession, consumption, trafficking and importation, were summarized. This article seeks to briefly summarise how the Court uses the sentencing ranges, referred to in the previous article, to sentence an offender. In this regard, the Courts have developed certain sentencing frameworks for certain drugs, so that both the Prosecution and the accused person would know what ought to be the rough estimateSEE DETAILS <span class="more...

INTRODUCTIONNews reports of persons being arrested for a variety of drug offences are still common despite Singapore’s strict drug laws. Such offences include possession, consumption and trafficking of controlled drugs and substances. Sometimes, the sentences imposed by the Courts are also provided in the news report if said persons were convicted of the offences. So, you may wonder, why do some accused persons receive vastly different punishments from one another? For example, why would an accused person be sentenced to death if he was in possession of 20g of heroinSEE DETAILS

If you’ve watched CSI or Brooklyn Nine-Nine, you might have some idea of what forensics can do. From finding “invisible” blood using luminol to identifying fingerprints at the scene of a crime, these are just some of the commonly dramatised forensic methods on TV shows and movies. However, here are some other facts that you might not have known about! (1) Rifling can be used to identify the type of gun usedhttp://sportingclassicsdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Bullets-.224.jpgRifling can be seen as the “fingerprint” of a gun. It refers to the spiral lands and grooves in aSEE DETAILS <span class="more-link-hover-image...