We hear a lot these days about increased crime in America. Many times, it seems the criminals who are caught get away with little or no punishment. Some states have actually raised the dollar amounts for theft or other illegal acts to even count as a crime! In California, you can steal something with a value of $950, and there is virtually no penalty paid. So what happens in California now? Theft, shoplifting, and pickpocketing are all on the rise! Who knew?
Sadly, some of my friends tell me they don’t go to their central downtowns as it’s far too dangerous, and they are afraid of being harmed. I try always to be aware of my surroundings since one never knows when someone will try to steal your purse. My elderly neighbor’s man bag was taken from his grocery cart as he was bending over and putting his groceries from the cart into the trunk of his car.
I’m sure all of my readers have experienced—or know someone who has experienced—some type of crime that affected them personally. I believe it’s time to take action regarding America’s increasing crime wave, so I decided to write this post about it.
I recently had the good fortune of touring Singapore. This Asian city/state is almost entirely free of crime and is universally recognized as one of the safest places in the world. Any person of any age – male or female – can walk down any city street at three a.m. in the morning with a wad of cash and not have to worry about being robbed or assaulted. Why? I will get to that later.
So, I did a little research and learned Singapore’s secret. How do they achieve such a successful, safe, and pristine nation? It is very simple:
They have very strict, highly disciplined programs and policies to combat nearly every ill in society. Some might argue that their rules are even draconian.
Homeless: Why aren’t there homeless in Singapore? Because people there who do not have a place to live are given meaningful work to do and placed in heavily subsidized public one-room flats. They do not have the option of camping out on Singapore’s streets.
Education: Singapore has compulsory education in its public school system. Every citizen must attend school until the age of 16. What happens to violators? Their parents receive a fine of $5,000 and 12 months in prison. Yes, education is also mandatory in the USA. The ages vary by state, but they are usually between 14 and 18. What happens to violators here? There may be a fine of $150.
Wealth: How does Singapore accumulate so much wealth per capita despite having no natural resources? Well, they manufacture and export sophisticated electronics and machinery and provide a wide array of financial services. Singapore also has the world’s busiest cargo seaport.
Safety: Singapore is a safe environment because they will brook no nonsense. Their laws and regulations are black and white. There are no gray areas and no wiggle room. One of our tour guides laughed as he said, “There is no such thing as a defense attorney in Singapore. The person in custody either did it or didn’t do it. Great care is taken to ensure no mistakes are made about guilt, that the perpetrator is, in fact, stone-cold guilty.”
Punishment: Once the accused is found guilty of a specific crime in Singapore, their punishment is already mandated in black and white. The punishment for crimes ranging from simple theft, burglary, sexual molestation, rape, drug trafficking, and murder all have specific numbers of years in prison and cane strokes the person will receive. Yes, I said caning. Who is eligible for caning? Well, fortunately for me and Hubby, neither females at any age nor males over the age of 50 can be caned.
Caning as corporal punishment is regularly applied in Singapore and, to most informed observers, is the primary reason it has such a remarkably low crime rate. One pundit used the following statistic to prove his point: Canada is regarded as a relatively safe country with just one-tenth the crimes per capita as the United States – and Canada doesn’t have caning as a punishment. Guess what? Singapore has only one-tenth the crime rate of Canada!
What about imprisonment as a deterrent? One convicted felon who received six strokes is convinced caning is a more effective deterrent to crime. “Prison doesn’t work. In the US, the 5-year recidivism rate is 80 percent. Prison is like debt or drugs — if you do it once, it easily becomes a habit. The thought of going back to jail isn’t so terrible.” He continued, “But getting stripped buck naked, bent over and tied to a rack, then screaming like a banshee while your bum is being flogged bloody raw by a martial arts master? That will teach you more in 15 minutes than prison would in 5 years. You will NEVER want to go through that again.”
What exactly is caning? The 4-foot rattan cane to be used is soaked in water or brine the night before the caning so that it won’t leave splinters. A doctor is always present in the room where the caning is performed. The person administering the cane strikes is usually an expert in martial arts. The cane has been clocked at moving at the rate of 90 miles per hour. The most a person can be caned is 24 strikes – lesser crimes involve just three to five strokes.
The number of mandated cane strikes is always carried out in one sitting – no pun intended. The victim is not notified when the caning will occur. He is summarily taken from a cell to the caning room and waits in line outside the room with several other men destined for the same fate. They can hear the sound of the cane striking raw human flesh and the bold-curdling screams of the rattan recipient. This is all calculated to create dread and anxiety, and it is very effective. After all – it is designed to be a deterrent.
The good news is that a pad is placed above the buttocks in the event the cane strike misses and hits the spine or kidneys. More good news: Persons sentenced to death are never caned. Most of the crimes calling for caning are egregious – but not all. Just entering or staying in Singapore illegally can result in a sentence that includes several caning strokes.
Do you suppose Singapore has many people illegally crossing their borders?
Unusual Laws and Regulations: Before entering Singapore, I was advised that some of its laws were very strict and perhaps strange to most Americans:
Public spitting or open sneezing is punishable by a fine of $1,000 for the first offense, $2000 for the second, and $3,000 for the third. This fine is to promote hygiene, so my advice is to always carry a Kleenex.
Alcohol cannot be consumed between the hours of 10:30 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. If caught drinking alcohol during that time frame, a fine of $1,000 – $2,000 may be imposed.
Kites cannot be flown in certain high-traffic areas, especially airports. They may distract the pilots and be ingested by the engines. The fine is $5,000.
Singing or reciting obscene words in public is subject to 3 months in prison and a possible fine.
Hacking into a Wi-Fi system belonging to another is subject to a $10,0000 fine and three years in jail.
Feeding pigeons is subject to a $500 fine. Anyone who has lived in an area where pigeons are ubiquitous certainly knows the reason for this law.
Not flushing a toilet in public facilities will result in a $150 fine. Interestingly, if one urinates in an elevator, an alarm goes off, and the door will automatically close. It won’t open until the police arrive and make an arrest.
Public smoking is expensive: $152 – $760 fine. It is okay to smoke in your home. No one is allowed to bring cigarettes into Singapore.
Walking naked in your home is subject to a $1,000 fine as it is considered pornographic. However, this law is rarely enforced. At my age, no one wants to see me naked anyway!
Littering costs $300 for a first offense, and anyone on the street can take a picture of you littering and turn you in.
Buying or selling chewing gum results in a fine of $100,000 and two years in prison. Why so strict? Gum chewers were putting chewed gum everywhere, and it became a nuisance. Some even placed chewed gum between the sliding doors of their transit cars, preventing the doors from opening and delaying trains for hours.
One of my favorite laws concerns the vandalism of public property. It can result in 3 to 8 cane strokes, a fine of $5,000, and up to 12 months in jail. This law only applies to permanent graffiti. If the perpetrator uses an erasable product for their graffiti art, the action is not considered vandalism.
I can understand most of these laws and the reason Singapore has them. Their very strict attitude says: We want the best possible life for all of our people, and we will not let a few people ruin our society for the rest of us.
Hubby likens the idea of living in Singapore to living in an HOA or homeowners association housing development. You don’t have to live there, but if you do, you must abide by the rules established to benefit the entire HOA community.
Singapore is a pristine, beautiful, and wealthy country. It has no national debt, homelessness, litter, drug activity, or crime. So, why does it have a relatively crime-free society, while the USA does not? Are you sick and tired of the increase in crime in our beautiful country? Should we do something as drastic as introducing caning as punishment for egregious crimes? Would caning actually deter crime in America?
Don’t get me wrong. I love my country and am thankful to be an American citizen. But am I wrong to wish it were a better and safer place to live?
Your comments are always welcomed and greatly appreciated.
6 Comments
When we visited Singapore last year, one of our passengers (a woman) was arrested and taken away for a court hearing. She and her husband had visited there several years before and she had been videotaped stealing something in a store. Her husband continued on the cruise. He was not allowed to stay behind with her. The last I knew was if the court hearing was resolved, she would be released and could rejoin the cruise. I don’t know what happened. As you say, they take crime seriously! Yes, it sounds a little brutal, but it works for them! This would never work in America because of the rights we are entitled to by our Constitution and the complex web of laws on the books. Too messy. We enjoyed Singapore very much. It was one of our favorite stops.
I vote for caning as punishment for unruly high school students!
OMG, Roberta! Returning to SIN this summer after 30-decades of ‘biz-trips’, watching/knowing how this ‘Island Nation’ has successfully managed their population & expanded the allure.
Hey, remember the ‘TigerBalm’ feature? So miss that 🙁
OMG, Roberta! Returning to SIN this summer after 30-decades of ‘biz-trips’, watching/knowing how this ‘Island Nation’ has successfully managed their population & expanded the allure.
Hey, remember the ‘TigerBalm’ feature? So miss that 🙁
Very interesting.
Your description of Singapore makes me want to live there! I fear that there is no hope for the USA.