Prison Dept denies claims prison life depends on money, influence

 

The Prison Department has denied singer-composer Yasin Sulaiman's claim that life in prison depends on money and influence.

Prison Department senior director of prison policy Rosidek Musa said the claim was untrue, as it has standard operating procedures to handle misconduct or negative incidents among inmates.

“The claim is untrue. In the prison system, we focus on rehabilitation programmes and address negative occurrences.

“We admit certain incidents may happen, but not to the extent alleged. Many released from prison succeed in building new lives, so why focus on the negative aspects?” he asked.

Rosidek said this to reporters after the closing ceremony of the Prison Department Bookathon Programme 2026 at Pengkalan Chepa Prison today.

Earlier, Yasin (above) claimed during an episode of the "AididitMyWay" podcast that a hierarchy existed among inmates, including groups referred to as “boss” and “taiko”, while also alleging that drugs could be smuggled into prison if an individual possessed money and influence.

Rosidek said any misconduct is dealt with according to established rules and procedures and that SOPs are continually improved.

“We will address every infraction and take action according to set rules and procedures. Each year, we tighten our SOPs and review them step by step,” he added.

Overcrowding

Rosidek also said conditions at Pengkalan Chepa Prison remain under control, although overcrowding is still an issue the department is addressing.

“Conditions at Pengkalan Chepa Prison are under control because we have satellite prisons and inmate reintegration programmes allowing prisoners to work outside.

“We are working to overcome overcrowding to ensure proper inmate management, he said.

On the Bookathon programme, Rosidek said the department has received a donation of 10,000 books for inmates nationwide, excluding Sabah and Sarawak.

The programme, launched in February, was organised in collaboration with Boustead Holdings Berhad, Royale Chulan, and Syarikat Muda Osman Sdn Bhd (SMO) to encourage the public to donate new or used books for inmates.

“The donations comprise various reading materials, including motivational, fiction, and religious books, while SMO also offered a 20 percent discount on books purchased and donated through campaigns across its 31 outlets,” he added.

- Bernama