[ad_1]
KUALA LUMPUR: The Joint Committee for the Welfare of the People of Parliament agreed on a proposal to reduce the number of prisoners in order to curb the spread of Covid-19 in prisons.
Dewan Negara Chairman Rais Yatim said the matter was decided after the committee’s second meeting today, which was also attended by Dewan Rakyat Chairman Azhar Harun and Interior Minister Hamzah Zainudin.
Rais said he was informed that the prisons were now overcrowded.
“The Interior Minister said that about 11,000 illegal immigrants would be deported next year.
“A total of 10,000 inmates, who are serving sentences of no more than three years, have been sent to rehabilitation centers.
“They are training in various fields, such as construction, carpentry, plantations or the 3D sector (dangerous, dirty and difficult), with the support of the private sector,” he said after the commission meeting in the Parliament building.
However, Rais said the matter involved having to further improve existing legal provisions and procedures.
“The committee has proposed that the obsolete procedures be resolved and eliminated.
“So this needs legislative action or amendments to the law.”
Rais said that all proposals must be refined by the government to take additional measures.
On December 10, Dewan Negara and Dewan Rakyat agreed to establish a joint committee to find short-term and long-term solutions to address the Covid-19 problem in prisons.
