M’sian Gov’t Collabs With Prisons Dept To Employ Former Prisoners & Henry Gurney School Inmates

By Lara Lindemann  •  07 Apr 2023 in News

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The Human Resources Ministry and the Malaysian Prisons Department are working together to provide job opportunities to prisoners and Henry Gurney school inmates due for release soon, with the aim to provide jobs for 15,000 people this year.

This collaboration is part of the Malaysian government’s initiative to assist former inmates and prisoners in reintegrating into society and reducing the recidivism rate.

The government, according to deputy minister of human resources Datuk Sivakumar Varatharaju, is dedicated to assisting ex-offenders and prisoners in finding employment. He underlined how crucial it was to give them the knowledge and training they would need to be successful in the working world. The ministry asserts that it will collaborate closely with the Prisons Department to guarantee that the training provided to former inmates is appropriate for the demands of the job market.

Datuk Sivakumar also noted that there are approximately 77,000 prisoners who have the potential to become productive employees and can be employed upon their release, which could help reduce the country’s reliance on foreign workers. The Minister highlighted that it would be a waste if the country does not utilise the available workforce and instead continues to depend heavily on foreign workers.

Datuk Sivakumar stated the above after the signing of a Note of Collaboration (NoC) between the Social Security Organisation (Socso) and Prisons Department at Wisma Perkeso. The Prisons director-general Datuk Nordin Muhamad and Socso chief executive Datuk Seri Mohammed Azman Aziz Mohammed were also present at the event, as reported by Malay Mail.

He added that from 2021 up to last month, a total of 588 individuals, including prisoners, ex-prisoners, and inmates of Henry Gurney School, had received job offers through various initiatives such as the Free Inmates Licence Placement Programme and Re-Entry@MyFutureJobs Programme.

Out of this number, 409 were ex-prisoners, 44 were parolees or under supervision; while the remaining were inmates of Henry Gurney School.