JOHOR BARU: Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are encouraged to support the government's efforts to help former inmates reintegrate into society by providing halfway homes, says Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
The Home Minister said many former convicts face challenges in reintegrating into the community, leaving them with nowhere to turn upon being released from prison.
"The Prisons Department found that many former inmates struggle when they are fresh out of prison as they are not accepted by their families and society.
"To assist them, we have provided halfway homes while also helping them secure employment.
"Currently, we have about six or seven halfway homes, and if NGOs want to help out, this is an area they can look into," he said during a town hall session with local NGOs in Taman Kempas on Saturday (June 13).
Saifuddin was responding to a question from an NGO representative who wanted to know how such organisations could assist the government's initiatives.
He said the government has also introduced a programme allowing inmates, known as prospects, who are serving sentences of less than three years and have demonstrated good behaviour, to be released and rehabilitated.
"This is part of our effort to reduce overcrowding in prisons, which currently house more than 87,000 inmates despite having a capacity of only 72,000.
"The initiative has proven effective in discouraging prospects from returning to their old ways, which was often the case previously.
"We found that of the 800 released through this initiative, only one returned to their old ways and was sent back to prison.
"In comparison, previously, about 13 out of every 100 would return to their old ways," he said.
He added that the government is also in the midst of amending the Minor Offences Act 1955 to allow the category of minor offences to be expanded beyond offences punishable by imprisonment of up to four years.
"Currently, only those serving sentences of four years or less fall under this category and are eligible to be included in the programme.
"By amending the Act, we hope to be able to include more prospects in the category," he said.
