Ms Sylvia Lim asked the Minister for Home Affairs (a) over the last five years, how many prisoners have passed away due to natural causes related to old age; (b) of these prisoners who have passed away, what are the offences committed for their imprisonment; and (c) what is the age of the oldest prisoner currently incarcerated.
Mr K Shanmugam: From 1 January 2017 to 31 December 2021, 14 prisoners, aged 65 and above, passed away due to their underlying medical conditions. These medical conditions included cancer, heart disease, and pneumonia.
The offences leading to the imprisonment of these 14 prisoners were as follows.
The age of the oldest prisoner incarcerated as of 30 June 2022 is 90 years old. He was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment for the offence of unauthorised import or export of a controlled drug and was admitted to prison on 30 April 2014, when he was 82 years old. He is currently staying in the Assisted Living Correctional Unit (ALCU) to mitigate his risk of falling. He has been observed to be fairly independent and does not require any assistance for his daily activities, nor does he display any sign of mental deterioration.
Ministry of Home Affairs
1 August 2022
https://sprs.parl.gov.sg/search/sprs3topic?reportid=written-answer-10899
Office of the Leader of the Opposition 