Home detention: Learn from foreign countries, NGO says

SHAH ALAM - The government needs to study the home detention system implemented in other countries if it is serious about implementing the Licensed Prisoner Release Programme (PBSL) in the country.

Safe Community Bonds Association (SCBA) chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said that although he supported the initiative, it must be done carefully and meticulously to avoid problems in the future.

He said that besides ensuring the safety of the implementation system, the government also needs to consider various aspects of monitoring prisoners, including the equipment used for house detention.

"So, we can learn and take examples of how it has been successfully implemented in countries that practice it. This is to ensure that this system can be implemented in the best possible way without causing safety problems and the like.

"Overall, I see this proposal as very good because it is one approach to reduce congestion in prisons.

"Prison overcrowding is serious and if not addressed, other problems may arise such as prisoners attempting to escape and so on.

"Cases like this have occurred in other countries when prisoners feel that their human rights are not being practiced or are dissatisfied with the conditions in prison," he told Sinar.

Lee added that more than 50 percent of prisoners in prisons due to drug-related cases.

He said for PBSL, the prison authorities could choose prisoners not involved in serious crimes.

"If prisoners in minor cases can be released from prison and placed under house arrest, it will undoubtedly help reduce overcrowding in prisons," he said.

Earlier, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the government had agreed in principle to implement the Licensed Prisoner Release, through home detention, for those who qualify.

He had previously reported to have said that prison reforms were needed to help reduce congestion in prisons and promote community correction for inmates.