KOTA BARU – A total of 850 offenders jailed in Kelantan prisons are presently working in 21 companies under the Corporate Smart Internship Programme (CSI) this year.
Kelantan Prisons Director Mat Yaacob said the convicts are those who are now serving time under the parole system and the licensed prisoner release scheme.
He said the prisoners involved are paid minimum wage along with Manpower Department-approved accommodations.
“Through the CSI programme, prisoners will be employed at motorcycle workshops, plantations, the manufacturing sector and women’s spa,” said Mat.
He said this at a press conference after the launch of the state-level “We Care” Correctional Community Empowerment programme at Universiti Malaysia Kelantan here today.
Deputy state secretary Datuk Tuan Zainal Abidin Tuan Yusuf officiated at the event.
Elaborating further, Mat said the department was receiving a lot of applications from many companies expressing their interest in the CSI programme.
“To date, we have 50 companies on the waiting list. The CSI programme is very beneficial to the prisoners because they are being given early exposure before being released,” he said.
He added that prisoners who were involved in the CSI programme also showed better performance as shown by the lower 4% recidivism rate compared to 15% for inmates who do not participate in the programme. – Bernama, December 7, 2022
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