Cultural Evaluation - Essay Example

Cultural Evaluation Affiliation: Introduction The Laws of US and the laws in Singapore are quite different. This is mostly because the laws in Singapore are based on the British constitution while the United States of America have developed their own federal laws which are less harsh as compared with those of Singapore. This paper will present examples of the differences in the laws of these two countries and their pros and cons. Pros The drug laws in both countries are taken as serious offences.

The strict tough laws in both countries enables them curb the drug menace. In the US, the laws on drugs lead to a person serving several years jail term depending on whether you are a trafficker or abuser. First time users however may get away with only probation or community service while the traffickers may serve a term of up to ten years (Singer and La Fond 2007). In Singapore on the other hand, drug trafficking and abusers are subjected to death sentences which are meant to serve as a warning to the rest hence there is a difference in the drug prevalence in these two countries.

Serious criminal offences in the US are punished by long jail terms, warnings or heavy fines. In Singapore, criminals are punished by capital or corporal punishment. IN corporal punishment, people are canned for offences like robbery and other petty crimes while capital punishment is through hanging for really serious offences like murder. Despite the extreme differences in the punishment for the offences in the two countries, they ensure crimes are regulated. Cons One of the disadvantages of the laws in US which are slack and not really harsh is that the criminals still continue to steal and crime rates still continue to accelerate as compared to crime rates in Singapore which have reduced and continue reducing as people fear the repercussions.

In the drunken driving rules for example, Singapore jails people for 10years while in the US they serve community service and pay fines hence they still continue to drink and drive. The other con is that the harsh laws in Singapore provide an in conducive climate for tourism or trade with other countries for fear of being subjected to the capital or corporal punishment. This in turn brings down the foreign relations with other countries as compared with the US with their less harsh laws and friendly foreign climate.

For example Singapore has some laws that most foreigners are not aware of like pornography including walking around in your room naked is illegal and can attract canning for the offender. This in such a hot climate is not favorable to tourists (Hephaestus Books 2011). Conclusion The difference in the pros and cons of these two countries is as a result of their different cultures and beliefs. In Singapore, the people are more conservative and hence any form of rebellion or change is frowned upon and this result to the harsh punishments being experienced in that country compared with the liberalism of the US which makes them open to changes and hence less severe punishments.

References Hephaestus Books. (2011). Criminal Law of Singapore, Including: Chewing Gum Ban in Singapore, Section 377a of the Penal Code (Singapore), Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) ACT (Singapore), Penal Code (Singapore), Vandalism ACT (Singapore), Prostitution in Singapore. New Jersey: Hephaestus Books. Singer, R. and La Fond, J. (2007). Criminal law: examples & explanations. New York: Aspen Publishers Online.