Minor Offenders Will Be Released From Jail To Curb COVID-19 Transmissions In Prisons
Thousands of inmates will also be transferred to temporary prisons.
By Lee Yong Jin — 08 Oct 2020, 04:21 PM
The Malaysian Prisons Department is taking action to curb COVID-19 transmissions in prisons
According to New Straits Times, the Prisons Department will grant a Release on Licence (ROL) to minor offenders, who have been sentenced to one year of imprisonment and have less than three months left of jail time.
Prisons Department director-general Datuk Seri Zulkifli Omar stated that there are 11,018 inmates that can be considered for ROL.
"All of those released under ROL must pass strict selection criteria and must first pass the COVID-19 screening carried out by the Ministry of Health (MOH)," Zulkifli said.
Some prisoners will also be transferred to another location in an effort to reduce crowding in prisons
Zulkifli said that prisoners who were sentenced under Section 15(1) of the Dangerous Drugs Act would be transferred to National Service (NS) camps gazetted as temporary prisons, as reported by New Straits Times.
Between 2,300 and 2,800 drug offenders would be involved in the temporary transfer.
Zulkifli also urged the public to remain calm since the spread took place in heavily-guarded and confined areas under the supervision of the MOH and other enforcement agencies.
Yesterday, the Prisons Department was told to come up with a new standard operating procedure (SOP) for prisons
Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri stated in a press conference that "prisons and detention centres have become hotspots for COVID-19 cases lately and this has raised serious concerns".
"The changes will include a SOP to bring detainees to court for trial, as well as a SOP for prison transfers."
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