Employers help prisoners turn over new leaf by providing jobs

With a second chance to correct a past error and change their future with a job offer, employers give prisoners many reasons to turn over a new leaf upon their release.

The initiative by the Prisons Department to help convicts build a better life after being released from prison has received good cooperation from employers who are willing to provide jobs for them in various fields.

K. Suraindran, 41, the owner of a carwash and office-cleaning services in Prai, said he has been recruiting parolees and prospects under the Licensed Release of Prisoners scheme to work in his company since 2019.

“So far, more than 250 people have worked with us and everything is going well.

“In the beginning, I was a little worried and only hired two prisoners in 2019, but over time, these people can actually carry out the work well.”

Suraindran said he was happy as most prisoners who finished working with him could start a new life without repeating past crimes.

“At any one time, I hire five to 10 prisoners and now there are seven prospects working in my company.

They usually work with us between three and 10 months depending on the length of sentence they are serving.”

He said recruiting prisoners under the parole system and scheme could, among other things, overcome the shortage of workers and indirectly give offenders a second chance in society.

Meanwhile, an inmate in his 40s, known only as Razak, said he was previously sentenced to a year in prison for a drug offence.

He said the opportunity to work at Suraindran’s company will be used as best as possible as he genuinely wants to build a new life after being fully released.

“I consider this a second chance and the best start for me to turn over a new leaf. This job also allows me to be independent and earn an income to support myself,” said Razak.

Prisons Department directorgeneral Datuk Nordin Muhamad said a total of 4,120 prospects of the total of 80,000 prisoners are undergoing rehabilitation in the community, including the scheme, mandatory attendance orders, parole and halfway houses.