Wong: Rehabilitation creates a more comprehensive correctional system for Sibu.
Home Ministry must ensure the new Sibu prison is designed as a modern correctional institution rather than simply a place of confinement, an MP’s representative says.
Sibu MP Oscar Ling’s special assistant Irene Wong said the RM300mil prison should include juvenile and drug rehabilitation centres to create a more comprehensive correctional system for Sibu.
In a media statement, she noted that the project was first approved in 2012 and scheduled for completion in December 2028.
The current Sibu Prison, which has a capacity of 450 inmates, has been plagued by overcrowding.
The new facility will accommodate 1,000 inmates.
“This new prison is not merely about creating additional space.
“It also presents an opportunity to establish proper facilities where inmates can acquire new skills and participate in programmes that enhance their employability upon release,” said Wong.
She said establishing rehabilitation centres within the same complex would conserve resources and space, instead of having separate projects at a later stage.
At present, Sarawak’s juvenile rehabilitation centres are located only in Kuching and Miri.
As a result, it is harder for families from Sibu and the central region to visit their kin because of the distance which makes travel costly and inconvenient.
“If we establish a centre in Sibu, young offenders from the central zone will be able to remain closer to their hometowns, maintaining family connections and receiving crucial support,” Wong reasoned.
She said that with the right facilities, the justice system could go beyond punishment to genuinely rehabilitate people, reduce repeat offences and create a safer community for all.
