PUTRAJAYA: The country’s prison management system is being fully reformed by emphasising the well-being of inmates including those who are aged or disabled, says the Home Minister.
Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail (pic) said the reform will also look at the effectiveness of rehabilitation outside the prison walls.
“An aspect that I would also like to emphasise is the 4,000 prisoners in the vulnerable groups as some of them are physically disabled or elderly.
“So we need to create and think about facilities that are more friendly to the disabled such as toilets, for example,” he said.
Saifuddin Nasution said this in an exclusive interview with Bernama at the minister’s office recently.
According to him, the ministry is also looking into the process of replacing dilapidated prisons such as Pengkalan Chepa Prison in Kelantan and Alor Setar Prison in Kedah as part of efforts to improve the existing infrastructure, which is increasingly unsuitable to meet current needs.
Going beyond the traditional approach, the ministry through the Prisons Department also implements rehabilitation programmes outside the prison walls such as the parole system and Compulsory Attendance Order, which have proven effective in reducing the rate of recidivism.
Saifuddin Nasution said the latest data from the Prisons Department showed that only one in 800 programme participants returned to crime after being released, compared to the recidivism rate among prospects who served their full sentences in prison, which recorded a much higher recidivism rate of about 13 out of every 100 people.
“When they are mentored outside of prison, they gain skills and change. Data shows that rehabilitation outside the prison walls is much more effective.”
Commenting on efforts to reduce the pressure on prisons, which currently house 87,000 individuals compared to the capacity of 73,000, Saifuddin Nasution said the ministry is finalising an amendment to the Prison Act to allow for house arrest orders for remand prisoners.
He said that of the total, 30,000 are prospects who had not been convicted of any offence and some of them could not afford to pay bail, thus becoming the biggest contributor to overcrowding.
“If we had a house arrest act for remand detainees, we can release them. The immediate effect is that prisons will be less crowded.”
Saifuddin Nasution also spoke on efforts to further enhance the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), whereby it will be receiving assets including helicopters, offshore patrol vessels and a “mothership” or flagship to strengthen security control.
The new Turkish-made aircraft carrier currently under construction is expected to begin operations in the first quarter of 2027, he said.
Saifuddin Nasution added that MMEA also received the former United States Coast Guard cutter Steadfast earlier this month.
The vessel, which is 64.16m-long, 10m-wide, and weighs 1,100 tonnes, can accommodate 12 officers and 63 other ranks at a time with a speed of up to 18 knots.
“It will enhance MMEA’s capacity to control nearly 600,000 sq km (of national borders). They are the ones who deal with arms smuggling, drugs, human trafficking, illegal fishing, and foreign fishermen encroaching on our waters or foreign ships entering our area,” he said.
