MELAKA: Malaysia’s parole system, which has led to a mere 0.4 per cent recidivism rate, is widely acknowledged to be the best in Southeast Asia, says Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
The Deputy Prime Minister said the parole system has also contributed to an overall reduction of the national crime index to 53 per cent, compared to 47 per cent in the same period last year.
The low percentage, he said, proves that the government’s move via the National Blue Ocean Strategy (NBOS) is effective in reducing crime.
“The Community Rehabilitation Programme (CRP) via socio-economic training for inmates who have less than a year to serve in prison, is the best example of this rehabilitation process.
“With the various training programmes provided, many among them (ex-convicts) have succeeded in becoming entrepreneurs by becoming songket-makers and bakers; in fact, the Prisons Department recorded RM38 million annually through the sale of biscuits.
“This indirectly helps reduce operational costs in prisons, as well as leads to less congestion (in prison),” he said after a working visit to the Melaka police contingent headquarters in Bukit Beruang, here today.
The CRP adopts a preventative approach to crime by rehabilitating petty criminals by giving them training and productive work on military premises. The programme provides them with skills to enable them to become productive members of society once released.