Giving ex-offenders a second chance in society

One of the reasons ex-offenders end up back in prison is because they don't feel they will ever be given a fair shot in society. Photo: Unsplash/Tim Mossholder

It has been 19 years since Pastor Ignatius Wong was last released from prison. He’d been in an out of prison since 1999, mostly because he could never find his footing each time he was released. Thankfully, he came into contact with a mentor at a rehabilitation centre in Chemor, Perak, who believed in him and Wong has never looked back since. He obtained his Bachelor in Theology and for close to two decades now, has made it his life’s mission to help struggling ex-convicts build a life for themselves upon their release.

“I couldn’t have done it without my leader (at the rehab centre), Jeremiah Pandian, whom I got in contact with through Malaysian Care. He was an ex-offender too and he gave me hope, encouraging me to study and make something of myself. I come from a broken family and have never experienced a father’s love before. Because of my past, I also have a strained relationship with my family... I don’t blame them as I had hurt them so often in the past. But he was like family to me and I thought, if he could do it, why not me?