THE HEALTH | MARCH-APRIL , 2023

BY SANTHA OORJITHAM

The juveniles at Sungai Buloh were housed in a separate block , and Ragu found himself one of 10 , squeezed into a cell meant for six or seven with only two mattresses between them . Almost half of them contracted scabies .

Ragu was the worst affected .“ My whole body was covered ,” he recalled .“ It was very painful and swollen .” By the time he was released in early 2021 , his skin was very dry and powdery and it took him two months to recover .

STEPS TO PREVENT OVERCROWDING

The pandemic was an urgent reminder of the link between overcrowding and health in Malaysia ’ s prisons . By September 2021 , according to an NST TV report on Dewan Rakyat proceedings , over 51,000 Covid-19 cases were reported in jails across the country .

The Malaysian Prison Department or Jabatan Penjara Malaysia ( JPM ) moved fast to bring the numbers down by transferring some inmates ( like Ragu ) to less crowded prisons and opening temporary prisons . Other steps included release on parole , compulsory attendance orders ( doing community service under the supervision of parole officers ) and release on licence ( working outside the prison and supervised by prison officers ).

The prison population dropped from 72,048 in the 39 prisons in October 2020 ( which was 33.8 per cent over capacity ) to 52,078 ( 18.4 per cent over capacity ) in December 2021 , according to sources .

Although Malaysia has entered the endemic phase , that momentum should be maintained , in line with JPM ’ s target of having two-thirds of prisoners undergoing rehabilitation in the community by 2030 .

At YouTurn Day , co-organised by Malaysian CARE and the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia ( SUHAKAM ) in February this year , JPM ’ s Deputy Commissioner General ( Community ) Dato ’ Ibrisam Abdul Rahman said overcrowding is now 10 per cent over capacity .. YouTurn Day is part of the YouTurn Project , launched by Malaysian CARE in 2021 to promote equal opportunities , community acceptance and family reconciliation for prisoners and ex-prisoners .

MOVING PRISONERS INTO THE COMMUNITY

JPM introduced its parole programme and release on licence ( OBB ) in 2008 . Since then , Ibrisam noted , over 53,000 have gone through the parole programme and almost 10,000 have been released on licence . Its Corporate Smart Internship programme found jobs for them in 115 companies .

In 2018 , JPM introduced the supervised prisoners programme , allowing them to stay in reintegration centres and work outside under the supervision of prison officials . Since then , 62,500 inmates have gone

Dato ’ Ibrisam Abdul Rahman ( centre ) unlocking a chain symbolising the release of prisoners into the community at YouTurn Day 2023 . On his right is SUHAKAM Vice-Chairman Prof Dato ’ Noor Aziah Mohd Awal and on his left is Malaysian CARE Executive Director Alvin Lim .

Ragu

PHARMACEUTICAL companies can play a role to help maintain health in the prisons , as part of their corporate social responsibility ( CSR ).

For example , hygiene kits including soap , shampoo and toothpaste could be provided . Female prisoners could be supplied with sanitary pads , as well as baby formula and diapers for those with children .

Eric Ruban , leader of Malaysian CARE ’ s Community Development Department ( Prison Unit ), explained that inmates rely on family and friends to purchase such products in the prisons when they visit . “ Those who go in without family support sometimes have to do chores for other prisoners to get these things ,” he said .

Although it is not in the medical sector , Sunway Hotels & Resorts ( SHR ) has been supporting

through this programme .

Another major change came in 2019 . That year , it introduced a resettlement programme , with officers offering ex-prisoners help to find jobs and lodging .

And most recently , the Offenders Compulsory Attendance Act 2022 was amended to make prisoners with a sentence of up to three years eligible . As of January this year , 18,500 qualified for this programme to do community services under supervision .

TREATING DRUG USERS AS PATIENTS

A shift towards alternative charges by the police and alternative sentencing by the courts would also help to reduce overcrowding in the prisons . For example , in June 2019 , the Pakatan Harapan government proposed decriminalising drug use to allow drug addicts to be treated as medical patients , rather than criminals .

Drug users who test positive on urine could be diverted to rehabilitation , but drug traffickers would still be jailed . Since almost 63 per cent of prisoners were sentenced for drug-related offences ( as of December , 2021 ), this would greatly reduce the numbers in prison .

In February this year , Home Minister

Eric Ruban prisoners ’ hygiene since the first Movement Control Order ( MCO ) in 2020 . Back then , SHR had a Soapful project , in partnership with Ecolab Sdn Bhd , Kinder Soaps Sdn Bhd and the Selangor Youth Community ( SAY ), to sanitise and repurpose soap bars which had been left behind by hotel guests . They responded to Malaysian CARE ’ s call for help by delivering 500 bars to juvenile inmates aged 14 to 21 at Pusat Koreksional Puncak Alam ( PKPA ) on April 1 that year . That was the first of three batches , which helped the juveniles through a critical period until June .

Later that month , SHR supplied 500 Soapful bars to parolees . And during Ramadan that year , it donated another 500 bars of soap to the women at Penjara Wanita Kajang . Although the Soapful project ended when SHR switched from soap

Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail told Parliament his Ministry was drafting a law which would replace punishment for drug addicts with treatment . If tabled and passed , the new law would be called the Drug and Substance Abuse ( Treatment and Rehabilitation ) Act , replacing the Drug Dependants ( Treatment and Rehabilitation ) Act 1983 .

This would also reduce recidivism — which JPM defines as those who re-offend within three years .

BOOSTING MENTAL HEALTH

Ragu ranked mental health as the second major issue for inmates . According to SUHAKAM ’ s “ Right to Health in Prison ” in 2017 , 10 per cent of prisoners and 14 per cent of prison staff surveyed reported “ unhealthy ” mental status .

“ Many were what we called masuk air or psy because of being in prison , and long hours in their cells with few activities ,” explained Ragu . “ They were depressed or had mental issues .” Getting counselling was difficult , he recalled .

There are 56 psychology officers serving inmates , with a maximum of three at the larger prisons , according to a source . Since 2019 , they have recruited some prisoners as psychology helpers , to identify suicide risk among their peers . This project is helping to ensure better support for mental health issues in the prisons .

While JPM provides rehabilitation within the prisons and support for prisoners after their release , it will take the “ whole village ” to welcome ex-inmates back into society .

With collaboration between government agencies , employers , non-governmental organisations and families of the prisoners , JPM should be able to meet its goal of having two-thirds of prisoners undergoing rehabilitation in the community by 2030 .

Reducing overcrowding , in turn , would be a major boost to health in the prisons . – The Health

Santha Oorjitham is Manager ( Policy , Advocacy & Research ) at Malaysian CARE .

PKP Amer Shariffudin Mat Nor ( centre ), then Director of PKPA , witnessed the arrival of the first batch from Soapful on April 1 , 2020 .

bars to liquid soap in its properties , it has since supplied other hygiene products including shampoo , conditioner and toilet paper to prisons in the Klang Valley .

For those who would like to support Malaysian CARE ’ s services to the prisons can contact Keith Gonsalvez at 03-92120162 ext 507 or keith . daniel @ malaysiancare . org