DRAFT PRISON ACT AMENDMENT AT AGC STAGE - SAIFUDDIN NASUTION

GEORGE TOWN, May 17 (Bernama) -- The draft of the Prison Act amendment is now at the review stage at the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) before it is expected to be tabled at a Parliament session this year.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the amendment would enable the implementation of the Compulsory Attendance Order on individuals in remand, with focus on non-major offences.

“Suggestions to amend the Act have been passed at the Cabinet level in principle and now theAGC is developing the matrix of the amendment, then we will only table it at Parliament.

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“This amendment (was suggested) because currently it is only for light sentences under three years and we want to expand it to 10 years,” he said at a media conference after attending the 235th Prisons Day celebrations at Padang Kota here today.

Penang Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Ramli Ngah Talib officiated the event, which was also attended by Deputy Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Shamsul Anuar Nasarah and Prisons General Commissioner Datuk Abdul Aziz Abdul Razak.

Saifuddin Nasution also said that the Home Arrest Act would be legal grounds enabling the Prisons Department to implement house arrest officially and after it is approved, guidelines and regulations for implementation will be developed carefully to ensure its effectiveness and guarantee the safety of everyone involved.

The amendment was also part of the efforts to reform prison management with a more humane approach, he added.

“Currently we have over 81,000 inmates in prison and 27,000 remand detainees. Many of them are minor offenders who have never been convicted. So with this new law, these detainees can carry out their sentences at home, with their families while being monitored, for instance, using electronic gadgets before the trial is completed,” he said.

He also announced that the Step Up initiative launched today was the Prisons Department’s continuous efforts to strengthen the rehabilitation and support system for former prospects after finishing their sentences and aimed to tackle the stigma against individuals rehabilitated in the prison system who are beginning new lives.

He stressed that prisons today did not only play the role on caring for the individual during their sentence, but also played an active role after they are released.

Measures have been taken, including the setting up of halfway houses as temporary shelters for former inmates who have yet to be accepted by their families or society, and as they undergo further rehabilitation programmes while working as an effort to rebuild their self confidence and work skills, Saifuddin Nasution said.

He pointed out that the programmes not only help prospects return to society in stages and in an orderly fashion but also have proven their effectiveness in reducing the recidivism rate and played an important role in reducing prison congestion.

“Companies have also collaborated in this campaign and there are 1,225 participating companies. Some take 30 (inmates), some others 10, and there are even those that take 100,” he said.

Also at today’s ceremony, Saifuddin Nasution was awarded the Johan Bakti Setia medal.

-- BERNAMA