bprep/photos/feb5/prison 1
Abd Halim chats with one of the inmates’ family members during the 1Malaysia Hour Gathering, at the City Prison Centre in Kepayan, yesterday. – Photo by Aniq Azraei.
KOTA KINABALU: As far as rehabilitation programmes for prison inmates are concerned, Sabah has done well.
City Prisons Department director Abd Halim Ma-Hasan disclosed that only eight per cent of the inmates had returned to their bad habits and jail, which is lower than the targeted 10 per cent.
“It is not serious, this is an achievement for us, which means our rehabilitation programmes work. Most of the recidivists are those who were left alone, with no one to turn to, including their family and friends,” said Abd Halim, adding that the repeat offenders were involved in petty crimes and drugs.
He said the department was always looking for new methods to ensure that ex-convicts would refrain from repeating their past mistakes.
“Among the programmes are the Community-Based Rehabilitation Programme, the Halfway Home and the Compulsory Attendance Order (CAO),” he told reporters during the 1Malaysia Hour gathering at the state prison in Kepayan near here yesterday.
He said the Community-Based Rehabilitation Programme was a joint project with the Defence Ministry, where selected inmates would be sent to Paradise Army Camp in Kota Belud to work.
“We are looking at 200 inmates for the first batch, and the programme is expected to be launched sometime this year. They will be selected based on the crime and jail term, among others.
“The programme has been proven successful in other states, and to date, it has been implemented at five army camps in Peninsular Malaysia,” he said.
Abd Halim added that Sabah’s first Halfway Home was launched last week in Kepayan.
The programme, which is aimed to help ex-prisoners obtain work and counseling, is also part of the 50 initiatives under the Crime Reduction National Key Result Area (NKRA), introduced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
Ex-convicts, especially those who are homeless or rejected by family and friends, would be allowed to stay at the Home for a maximum of three months, where they would be given counseling. The Department would also assist them in securing jobs.
As for the CAO, Abdul Halim said offenders were not sentenced to imprisonment but instead performed tasks in the community.
“The purpose of this programme is also one of the NKRA initiatives to reduce congestion in prisons in addition to reduce government cost.
“Meanwhile, with the implementation of this programme, offenders can also continue with their original work,” he said.
Punishment must be less than three months and offenders shall conduct mandatory work not exceeding four hours per day in the central gazette, such as carrying out sanitation work in Old Folk’s Home, spastic children home under the Social Welfare Department and controlled by supervising officers from Compulsory Attendance Center (PKW) Malaysia Prison Department.
The programme was implemented on Sept 1, 2010, using the existing members of the Department of Prisons and Infrastructure, State and District Parole Office.
Meanwhile, touching on the event, Abd Halim said it was being carried out simultaneously nationwide.
“Today, 28 inmates have been selected to take part in the programme, where they are free to meet up-close with their family members. The event aims at creating closer ties among the inmates and their family members and to ensure that they will be accepted upon completing their sentence.
“It is also an effective platform for the leaders to get close with the people, and identifying the welfare issues affecting the people, especially the inmates and their loved ones,” he said.