Prisons Dept targets reducing recidivism rate by 10%

KAJANG: The Prisons Department aims to reduce the rate of recidivism, or repeated offenders, by ex-prisoners across the country to 10% compared to the current 15%.

Its director-general Datuk Nordin Muhamad said the target was achievable within 10 years in line with various rehabilitation programmes done, including the launch of the Civilised Humane Culture Development Centre in 42 prisons nationwide.

He said the centres would bring about a new culture among the Prisons Department workforce in line with the third goal of the prison system as set out in the Mandela Rules, in which the purpose of the prison was to ensure the safety of the community by not becoming ‘future victims’.

"The concept has meaning to us as members of the Malaysian Family as each crime committed also has a victim, and it is possible that we will all become victims if criminal activities are not controlled and the minds of criminals are not treated.

"We want to make prisons a healthy environment, inmates who communicate and create a civilised human culture...we don't want the prison elements to be brought out, that is, if we treat them like criminals, they will also come out like criminals," he said when launching the Civilised Humane Culture Development Centre at the Prisons Department headquarters here on Monday (July 25).

Nordin said a total of 76 officers and 1,050 personnel have successfully completed a training conducted by three representatives from the United Kingdom’s Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Services to ensure that the goal of establishing the centre could be effectively implemented. - Bernama