SUNGAI BULOH: Inmates at the Sungai Buloh Prison are being given one hour of physical exercise daily to enable them to live healthily.
The prison’s Prisoner Management Division head Nordin Mohamad said apart from taking part in sports and physical exercises, the inmates are also given the opportunity to participate in entrepreneurship programmes on tailoring and carpentry among other skills, which are aimed at helping them to earn a living once they have completed serving their sentences.
Prisoners are allowed to exercise in batches, with only 250 at a time.
The prison currently houses about 5,000 inmates.
Nordin was speaking to Bernama after the final football match for the Sungai Buloh Prison-International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Trophy, held today in the prison grounds.
While the football challenge has been a yearly affair, this was the first time the competition was jointly organised by the prison with the ICRC, and featured 10 teams composed of about 180 prisoners.
ICRC representative Celine Croon said the daily hour of physical exercise implemented at the prison was in line with the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (Nelson Mandela Rules).
She said every prison in the world should respect its inmates and this includes humanitarian practices, to ensure the prisons functioned better.
“Sporting activities help reduce stress among inmates and prison staff, while positively impacting their physical and mental health,“ Croon added. - Bernama
