KUALA LUMPUR – In a bid to reduce prison congestion, the government is looking into amending the law by abolishing imprisonment for drug use, and instead implementing rehabilitation and treatment programmes for those convicted.
The government will recommend a new legislation called the Misuse of Drugs and Substances Act to replace the Drug Addicts (Treatment and Rehabilitation) Act 1983, the Home Ministry said in a written reply to Wong Shu Qi (Ph-Kluang) in the Dewan Rakyat.
Additionally, the prisons department is also looking into increasing the number of cell blocks in prisons, while implementing a parole and rehabilitation system.
Malaysia’s parole, rehabilitation and the Compulsory Attendance Order initiatives have already involved 56,247 individuals.
Further, through amendments of the Prison Rules 2000, the prisons department is also undertaking the Licensed Prison Release Programme for inmates with jail terms of less than one year.
“Right now, there are currently 11,000 inmates that are serving prison sentences of less than one year,” the ministry explained in the reply.
There are also plans to reimplement the vocational and skills certification programme for inmates.
This would allow prisoners to enter into work programmes, which could reduce recidivism. – The Vibes, December 19, 2020
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