Prison dept targets repeat jailing rate below 5%

KAJANG: The Prison Department has set a target for recidivism or reoffending rate among released prisoners to be reduced to below five percent this year from 8.59% recorded last year.
Prison Department Director-General Datuk Seri Zulkifli Omar said over the past few years, the rates stood at below nine percent following the implementation of human development, rehabilitation and skills training programmes.
"Members of the public are urged to cooperate with the prison department in terms of providing support to released prisoners.
"Do not boycott them to the extent of making them feel as though the outside world is a 'second prison' for them which eventually forces them to commit another crime," he told a media conference here today.
Zulkifli said while in prison, the prisoners had been given education and various skills training including sewing, landscaping, agriculture, and food preparation to enable themselves to land a job after being released.
"Apart from enabling them to earn a living, the education and skills will inadvertently change the negative public opinion of ex-convicts," he said.
There were 57,441 prisoners housed in 57 rehabilitation institutions across the country including 36 prisons, rehabilitation centre (four), the Prevention of Crime Act 1959 (Poca) special rehabilitation centre (five), the Prevention of Terrorism Act (Pota) special rehabilitation centre (two), juvenile school (four) and community rehabilitation centre (six).
Commenting on the number of prisoners that exceeded the prisons' 52,300-capacity, he said the problem would be dealt by utilising the existing space in stages.
Earlier, some 20 media practitioners were briefed before being taken to visit the Kajang Women Prison that housed 1,218 prisoners and the prison's Drug Rehabilitation division, which was occupied by 535 inmates. — Bernama