KOTA TINGGI: The Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF) has proposed that narcotics addiction rehabilitation centres (Puspen) be gazetted as special prisons for drug addicts to strengthen rehabilitation and treatment efforts.
MCPF Drug-Related Crime Prevention and Rehabilitation Committee chairman Datuk Kamarudin Md Ali said the move would not only help curb drug addiction but also ease overcrowding in prisons, where about 70% of inmates are drug offenders.
Hardcore addicts, in particular, should be placed in rehabilitation centres that prioritised treatment and recovery, rather than in prisons, which are primarily correctional in nature, he said.
Kamarudin added that Puspen, under the National Anti-Drugs Agency, had facilities spread across the country, with an estimated total capacity of over 25,000.
“Puspen’s facilities are more specialised and complete. Although prisons also provide treatment (for drug addicts), they are more correctional (in nature), focusing on crime prevention rather than addiction recovery,” he said in an interview with Bernama yesterday.
In this regard, Kamarudin proposed that Puspen be turned into a special prison for drug addicts, as it already had the facilities and manpower to support rehabilitation efforts.
He said the move would allow the government to continue with sentencing while implementing rehabilitation without having to build a new prison.
