Prisons Department to free some prisoners to curb spread of Covid-19

 

Prisons director-general Zulkifli Omar says the temporary transfer to national service camps would involve between 2,300 and 2,800 inmates.

PETALING JAYA: The Prisons Department has announced it will grant inmates release on licence (ROL) in an effort to prevent further Covid-19 infections and reduce crowding in prisons.

Director-General of Prisons Zulkifli Omar said the department was taking the rise of infections seriously, as a large portion of the new cases involved inmates in strictly guarded prison areas.

He noted that the number of active cases among inmates and prison staff throughout the country had increased to 1,126 cases today, compared with 673 cases yesterday.

In a statement, Zukifli said the inmates to be released were minor offenders who were sentenced to less than one year of imprisonment, with less than three months left to serve.

“According to the Prisons Department’s statistics as of Oct 5, there are 11,018 inmates with a sentence of less than one year and a remaining sentence of less than three months who are eligible for ROL.

“All released inmates through the ROL must meet the strict selection criteria and pass Covid-19 screenings by the health ministry first.”

Zulkifli added that those guilty under Section 15(1) of the Dangerous Drugs Act would be transferred to National Service Training Programme camps which will serve as temporary prisons.

He said the temporary transfer would involve between 2,300 and 2,800 inmates.

He also said the department had complied with the SOPs to treat, quarantine and curb the spread of the virus among prisoners throughout the country.

Zulkifli urged the public to remain calm and to trust the steps taken by the department, which he said were under strict regulations by the health ministry. - FMT