Study Visit to Kajang Men’s Prison

Kajang, Selangor, 14 November 2024 – The Initiative to Promote Tolerance and Prevent Violence (INITIATE.MY) participated in a study visit to Kajang Men’s Prison. Organised by Dr. Haezreena Begum, a Board of Expert Member at INITIATE.MY and Deputy Dean at the Faculty of Law, University of Malaya, the visit marked INITIATE.MY’s second engagement with the prison community, following a December 2023 visit to Kajang Women’s Prison.

The visit offered valuable insights into the daily lives of male inmates, their routines, and the facilities within the prison, including dormitories, the clinic, and the canteen. The prison enforces strict rules to foster discipline and encourage behavioural improvement.

During a briefing, a prison officer explained Malaysia’s gradual shift from a punitive to a correctional prison system. This reform focuses on discipline, spiritual activities, and vocational training, such as woodworking, cooking, and bread baking, with the bread being used to feed the prison community. However, challenges such as mental health issues, peer influences, and contraband smuggling persist and require targeted actions for more effective rehabilitation. The officer also emphasised that prison life must remain distinct from life outside to maintain order and discipline.

One remarkable success story shared during the visit involved an inmate detained under Tahanan Limpah Sultan (TLS) since 2001, at the age of 14. After spending over 20 years in prison, he expressed profound remorse for his past crime. During his incarceration, he earned a PhD in Business Administration, highlighting the prison department’s dedication to supporting inmates committed to self-improvement. In December 2024, he was granted a royal pardon by the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, during the Sultan’s birthday celebration. This pardon offered him a second chance to reintegrate into society and rebuild his life.

INITIATE.MY commends Kajang Men’s Prison for its progressive correctional practices that prioritise rehabilitation over punishment. Other prisons in Malaysia should adopt similar approaches to enhance inmate rehabilitation and reintegration. To strengthen these efforts, the Ministry of Home Affairs, independent experts, and civil society organisations must invest in research to identify areas for reform and develop a comprehensive reintegration programme for former inmates, as INITIATE.MY has long advocated for ex-security prisoners.