Prison dept deserves praises for skilled inmates initiatives

KAJANG – The achievement by the Malaysian Prison Department in creating skilled inmates is something worthy of praise, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin said. 

He said this matter was proven by the international acknowledgement bestowed on the department through the 5th International Craft Awards 2021: Lifetime Achievement for Contribution to the Sustainable Development of Craft Sector and Social Inclusion and its participation at London Craft Week in May that exhibited the work of inmates.

According to him, the department is now undergoing an assortment of transformations from various aspects, including inmate affairs, medical and general treatment, along with rehabilitation through programmes that benefit both inmates and the general society.

“We see from the things the department has done, it has reached a level worthy of praise as many inmates have been given new skills they can use upon their release.

“This is something that is very good, and I understand that with such programmes the number who return to jail has dropped,” he said at a media conference after presenting certificates of service excellence to 243 Prison Department officers and personnel at the Prison Department Auditorium in Kajang today.

Meanwhile, Prison Department director-general Datuk Nordin Muhamad said the department’s transformation included various main aspects, including security, rehabilitation, service and treatment, reintegration as well as probation and community correction. 

He said they received cooperation from operators and owners in various sectors, including manufacturing, construction, plantation and service, who provide dormitories outside prisons which can be viewed as community correctional centres capable of producing parolees, supervised people, licensed free people and ex-convicts who join resettlement programmes.

“Prisons, including those in the central zone of Selangor and Negri Sembilan, have a higher number of inmates compared with other zones, over 16,000 people or 26.2% of total inmates (61,435).

“But with efforts and collaboration with various parties based on work training and guaranteed incomes for inmates and ex-convicts starting life outside prison, the recidivism rate for the total number of inmates who participate in rehabilitation programmes outside of prisons has been reduced to the current 0.39%,” he said. – Bernama, June 9, 2022