JAIL TOURS FOR DELINQUENTS?
Prisons Department ready to facilitate visits for problem students
THE Prisons Department is ready to assist the Education Ministry in creating education modules to help students with serious disciplinary problems.
Its director-general, Datuk Seri Zulkifli Omar, said if implemented, the modules would be used to educate delinquent students during their visits to prisons.
He said the purpose of the proposed jail visits was to show the delinquents what was in store for them if they did not repent.
“We are ready to assist the ministry by producing suitable modules for the students.
“We cooperated with the ministry before under the ‘Message from Prison’ programme, where inmates would go to schools and give talks about their experience living in jail.
“The same module will also be introduced but this time, the students visit the prisons.
“However, this matter is still under discussion,” he said after attending the Correctional Graduates’ End-of-Training parade at the Prison Officers Training Centre here yesterday.
Zulkifli said the new modules would include counselling sessions and operant conditioning, a learning method that involved rewards and punishments for certain types of behaviours.
“This method is widely used in the United Kingdom and the same exposure is also given to the students there so that they will not be easily influenced to commit crime.
“But what I am afraid of is that we will not get the green light from some parents. They may think that this is not the best solution to help their children.
“However, I believe that this is a good preventive measure. We want to give students a ‘taste’ of what type of punishment criminals are subjected to.
“We want them to realise what awaits them in jail if they continue committing offences,” he said.
It was reported that students with serious disciplinary problems would be required to visit prisons and Henry Gurney School, as part of the Education Ministry’s efforts to combat social illnesses in schools.
Its minister, Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid, had said the visits would be similar to an educational or awareness tour in prisons, instead of a rehabilitation programme.