KOTA BARU: Two prisons in Kelantan are grappling with severe overcrowding, as both facilities are holding more inmates than their designated capacities.
Prisons Department director-general Datuk Nordin Muhamad revealed that these two prisons — located in Pengkalan Chepa and Machang — rank among the top three most overcrowded prisons in the country.
"Pengkalan Chepa tops the list for overcrowding, while Machang comes in third," he said.
The congestion percentage at Pengkalan Chepa is recorded at a staggering 139.2 per cent, housing 3,588 inmates against its original capacity of 1,500.
In Machang, the situation is similarly dire, with 2,665 prisoners currently held, far exceeding its capacity of 1,560, resulting in a congestion percentage of 70.8 per cent.
He said the Kota Kinabalu prison was also facing capacity issues, currently holding 2,999 inmates, which is nearly double its original capacity of 1,320, leading to a congestion percentage of 127.2 per cent.
Nordin said that the department was committed to finding solutions to alleviate overcrowding across prisons nationwide.
On Sunday, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail announced plans to draft a new act regarding house arrests to address the critical overcrowding affecting 43 prisons, creating non-conducive living conditions.
He said with 82,000 detainees currently in the prison system — exceeding the established capacity of 74,000 — the government was seeking effective measures to address this pressing issue.
"Offenders are categorised into two groups – those who have been convicted and those under remand," he said.
The proposed house detention practice is already in use in several developed countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Australia.
He said the government planned to present this new act next year for parliamentary debate, with some 20,000 offenders of specific categories potentially eligible for house arrest pending a thorough screening process.