Prison personnel happy to see ex-inmates doing well

Seeing former prisoners successfully living their daily lives and blending with other members of the community is a satisfaction for newly commissioned prison officers.

Muhammad Syazwan Md Sobri, 31, who works at the Simpang Renggam Prison in Johor, shared that meeting a former prisoner in his custody doing well can be likened to a teacher who sees his students succeed.

"When I met him, he was imprisoned for five years for an armed robbery in a shop in Johor. But the way he dressed and socialised now proved that the prison institution had successfully rehabilitated him and allowed him to live a life like everyone else," he told reporters.

Syazwan said this when met after the parade for the Completion of the Training of Deputy Superintendents and Inspectors of Prisons at the Malaysian Prisons College yesterday which was launched by the Prisons Department director-general Nordin Muhamad.

Syazwan is also the overall best trainee among the 62 trainees who successfully completed training.

Meanwhile, intern Siti Salwa Salehon, 37, had to leave her six-month-old baby girl and be away from her husband and family for two months to pursue her dream of becoming a prison officer for the position of deputy superintendent of prisons.

"Actually, I was initially called to undergo this training last year, but I postponed it because I was pregnant. In the middle of last month, I was offered to undergo this training again and I accepted even though my youngest child is only six months old and was still breastfeeding,” she said.

Admitting that she was saddened by the decision, Siti Salwa said she was determined to succeed and was very grateful to have a very understanding husband.

“For two months in training, my husband managed all the affairs of my five children who are now aged 12 years to nine months," said Siti Salwa, who joined the Prisons Department in 2006.

Siti Salwa said she joined the Prisons Department after completing her Sijil Tinggi Pelajaran Malaysia (STPM) and continued her degree at Universiti Sains Malaysia in the field of Social Science in 2016.

"For the future, I plan to continue my studies to increase my knowledge of prisoner management so that they can live a better life after serving their sentence," she said.

- Bernama

COMMENT | Growing calls for a stronger police oversight commission

Rehabilitation more effective for repeat offences - Prisons DG

NGO moots royal pardon for drug-related offenders, ex-prisoners

NGO: Clear ex-drug offenders' criminal records to give them second shot at life