KUALA LUMPUR: Parliament’s Joint Committee for People’s Well-Being has agreed to a proposal to reduce the number of prisoners to curb the spread of Covid-19 in prisons.
Dewan Negara president Rais Yatim said the matter was decided after the second meeting of the committee today, which was also attended by Dewan Rakyat speaker Azhar Harun and Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin.
Rais said he was informed that prisons were now overcrowded.
“The home minister said about 11,000 illegal immigrants would be deported next year.
“A total of 10,000 inmates, who are serving sentences of not more than three years, have been sent to rehabilitation centres.
“They are undergoing training in various fields, such as construction, carpentry, plantations or the 3D (dangerous, dirty and difficult) sector, with the support of the private sector,” he said after the committee’s meeting at the Parliament building.
However, Rais said the matter involved having to further improve existing provisions and legal procedures.
“The committee has proposed that outdated procedures be resolved and done away with.
“So, this needs legislative action or amendments to the law.”
Rais said all proposals needed to be refined by the government for further action.
On Dec 10, the Dewan Negara and Dewan Rakyat agreed to set up a joint committee to find short-term and long-term solutions to address the issue of Covid-19 in prisons.