Prisons Dept sets out to reduce repeat offenders via rehabilitation

KAJANG: The Prisons Department has aimed to reduce the rate of recidivism, or repeat offenders, to 10%.

Currently, the national recidivism rate stands at 15%.

Prisons director-general Datuk Nordin Muhamad said this target could be achieved within 10 years with the implementation of various rehabilitation programmes including the newly launched Civilised Humane Culture Development Centre at 42 prisons nationwide.

He said the centres could bring about a new culture among the workforce, in line with the third goal of the prison system set in the Mandela Rules, which states that the purpose of prison is to ensure the safety of the community from becoming “future victims”.

“Each crime committed has its victim, and all of us could become one if criminal activities are not controlled and criminal minds are not healed.

“We want a healthy prison environment, inmates who communicate and create a civilised culture ... if we treat them like criminals, they will also come out (to behave) like criminals,” he added when launching the Civilised Humane Culture Development Centre at the Prisons Department headquarters here yesterday.

Nordin said a total of 76 officers and 1,050 personnel have successfully completed a training session 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 can be effectively achieved. — Bernama