Mandatory death penalty for drugs in Singapore: what's wrong with the communitarian rationale?

• Main Author: Chew, Ashley Ying Ying
• Other Authors: Grace Boey
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2024
• Subjects: Arts and Humanities; Communitarianism; Singapore; Punishment
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/180879
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

This paper critically examines Singapore's reliance on capital punishment for drug trafficking offences within the context of its communitarian framework. While the death penalty appears justified under communitarianism through retributive and reductionist justifications, closer scrutiny reveals that it internally conflicts with the framework by implicitly prioritising collective welfare over individual rights, fundamentally undermining communitarian ideals. Given that neither the reductive nor the retributive justifications meet Singapore’s core communitarian goals, their combined rationale fails to provide a robust justification for retaining the death penalty. This paper then argues for a re-evaluation of capital punishment, proposing that Singapore adopt a more balanced version of communitarianism, one that reconciles collective welfare with respect for individual rights. This approach not only avoids the ethical pitfalls associated with the death penalty but also demonstrates that communitarianism can respect individual rights without sacrificing communal order. The analysis unfolds in four sections: first, an overview of Western communitarianism; second, an exploration of the adoption of communitarian principles in Singapore and their implications for capital punishment; third, a critical examination of the reductionist and retributive justifications for the death penalty; and finally, a proposal for a reimagined communitarianism that fosters a more just and equitable legal framework.