Prisons Dept targets more inmates to undergo community rehab to prevent overcrowding

KAJANG: The Prisons Department targets to have two-thirds of detainees eligible to undergo community rehabilitation by 2030 to overcome overcrowding in prisons.

Its commissioner-general Datuk Nordin Muhamad said the initiative, which began in 2008, consisted of the parole system, Compulsory Attendance Order (PKW), inmate reintegration programme, licensed inmate release and several other initiatives.

"Overcrowding in prisons is not unique to only Malaysia and as of Oct 5, the department recorded a total of 82,539 detainees.

"A total of 76,336 detainees are inmates of prisons while 6,203 detainees are undergoing community rehabilitations," he told reporters after the launch of the amended Offenders Compulsory Attendance Act 2022 at the department headquarters on Tuesday (Oct 11).

Nordin said the amended law, which was gazetted on Sept 5, enabled those with up to three years’ prison sentence to be eligible for PKW, which is a probation where detainees serve out their sentence by conducting community-related service.

"Prior to the amendment, only detainees sentenced up to a year were eligible for PKW," he said.

From the total detainees,17,025 of them are serving up to three years’ prison sentence, Nordin said.

"We are targeting for them to be eligible for PKW, thus reducing prison population.

"Of the total, 12,746 inmates were convicted of drug related offences, 4,207 for criminal offences, 49 for syariah offences and 23 for other offences.

"The amended law will give the courts more alternatives to impose community rehabilitation for the detainees," he said.

Alternative sentences in the form of community rehabilitation is the way to go not just to lessen prison capacity but to protect society as well, Nordin added.

"Our study showed that of every 400 inmates in prison, 60 of them will become repeat offenders compared with community rehabilitation where only one in 400 will revert to recidivism," he said.

To date, 6,974 offenders have gone through PKW and 94.6% of them have completed their community rehabilitation, he said.

"Currently, we have a total of 52 PKW centres nationwide.

"We have requested with the government to add 20 more," he said.

Home Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Wan Ahmad Dahlan Wan Abdul Aziz, who represented the Home Minister in launching the event, said that the Prisons Department will be able to save some RM182mil yearly in operational cost through the community rehabilitations programmes.

"A total of RM5.5bil have been spent for the last five years for various operational costs for prisons nationwide.

"This year, the department targets 10,000 inmates to be eligible for community rehabilitation programmes.

"We expect the department to save some RM182mil yearly with this programme," he said.

Wan Ahmad Dahlan said the ministry hoped that more first time offenders who were imposed with light sentences will be able to undergo the programme.