ALOR STAR: A criminologist has lauded the government's plan for the Licensed Release of Prisoners (PBSL) through home detention for prisoners serving jail time of four years and below, as an effort to reduce overcrowding in prisons.
Kamal Affandi Hashim said the decision showed that the government is serious in tackling prisons overcrowding issue and at the same time reducing its financial burden.
"This shows that the government is serious in addressing overcapacity issue in our prisons. "It is also a wise approach to help the inmates in preparing to return to society after completing their jail term.
"This will also help the government to save the RM40 per day cost for each inmate. Hence, it is an effective approach to reduce government's financial burden," he said when contacted.Kamal also agreed that home detention method is a more humane approach as it would facilitate the process of prisoners regaining their function in society.
"Most importantly, this shows that the government does understand and I also wish that the general public will also understand the fact that everyone is guaranteed of his personal freedom."It is just that once a person is sentenced to serve a jail term, this rights is temporarily suspended.
"However, after he completed the time, the rights of individual freedom as guaranteed by the Federal Constitution should restored," he said.Earlier today, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail announced that the government has agreed in principle to implement the PBSL through home detention, for selected prisoners.
Saifuddin was reported as saying that his ministry is currently in the process of examining the implementation method from the point of view of relevant legal provisions, to ensure whether the existing laws and regulations need to be enacted or not.He had said the prison inmates involved in the initiative consist of individuals with chronic diseases, the elderly, persons with disabilities (PwD) and expectant mothers.
Saifuddin was also reported as saying that the method is more humane as opposed to detaining them behind bars.
