Parole system offers ray of hope to prisoners
KAJANG: “No Trust, No Parole” is the slogan that drives the Malaysian parole system.
Indeed, according to parole and community service officer Mohd Nasir Awang, trust is the only basis for the sound implementation of the Malaysian Prison Department’s parole system that kicked off in July 2008.
It is this very quality that allows the parole officer to effectively supervise parolees placed under his scrutiny and to help mould them into useful, law-abiding citizens.
Mohd Nasir is among the 761 parole officers on duty in 52 districts throughout the country where prisoners are placed by the prison department after being given the parole order.
The Prison (Amendment) Act 2008 provides for the establishment of the parole system in Malaysia, which is aimed at alleviating prison overcrowding and operating costs, besides reducing recidivism and rehabilitating prisoners to ensure their successful re-entry and reintegration into society.
Since its implementation a decade ago and up to early March this year, about 21,000 prisoners have been released on parole.
Besides having to deal with the parolees under their supervision, the parole officers also have to do their part to remove the negative stigma attached to lawbreakers and convince their families, and society in general, to accept them back in their midst. And, unlike prison wardens, parole officers are not equipped with firearms although they are sometimes required to travel to interior areas to supervise parolees placed there.
“Some of these areas can be considered high risk and pose a danger to us. But then, these are all among the challenges that are part and parcel of our lives as parole officers,” said Mohd Nasir, who is based in the Hulu Langat district in Selangor.
Having been a parole officer for the past five years, he is well versed in handling jailbirds on parole.
The first meeting between the parole officer and parolee placed under his care occurs at the district parole and community service office. After taking charge of the parolee, the officer will hand him over to his family or employer. If no living quarters are provided by the employer, the prison department will make arrangements for the parolee to stay at a halfway house.
The parolee has to have his first appointment with his parole officer within three days or 72 hours after he is handed over to his family or employer.
“They have to report to the parole office where we will assess them to make sure they are drug-free as in the case of drug addicts, or have not returned to their life of crime,” Mohd Nasir told Bernama.
In the early stages of their paroled release, the support of their families and the community play a crucial role in enabling the parolees to adjust themselves to life outside the prison walls, he added.
The district of Hulu Langat has nine parole officers who have to supervise paroled prisoners placed in Semenyih, Puchong, Dengkil, Beranang and the area stretching from Sungai Pelek to Labu at the Negeri Sembilan border.
The officers would constantly keep in touch with their “wards” or their families to make sure that they have not flouted any of the 41 conditions attached to their parole order, including the requirement for them to be indoors from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. daily.
“We also make surprise checks and visits from time to time if the need arises,” said Mohd Nasir, adding that the parolees were also required to present themselves at the parole office once a week for intervention and counselling sessions.
Throughout the parole period, the parolees are also compelled to participate in social activities, such as cleaning up mosques and graveyards, organised by either the local community or nongovernmental organisations.
In the event a parolee violates any of the conditions set by the Parole Board, the parole order can be revoked and the parolee sent back to jail.
“Usually, we will assess the seriousness of the offence committed before deciding whether or not to revoke the parole order. If the offence is serious enough to threaten the safety of his/her family or people in the surroundings, we will send him/her back to jail without any compromise,” Mohd Nasir added.