Mantin PRP Equips Inmates With Various Skills For A Fresh Start

By Sarinah Mat Kasim

SEREMBAN, Dec 27 (Bernama) -- Although confined within the walls of the Mantin Inmate Reintegration Centre (PRP) here, over 500 inmates are being equipped with various skills to help them prepare for life after release.

Mantin PRP commander Deputy Superintendent of Prison Mohd Arif Shamsuddin said one such initiative is a frozen pau-making project to empower inmates with culinary skills to support themselves financially upon reentering society.

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“The frozen pau project is a collaboration with an external company, giving these inmates exposure to the realities of the working world. The Mantin PRP supplies the manpower, while the company provides all necessary equipment, facilities and supplies, including a cold storage cabin.

“The inmates receive wages for their work which are managed by the centre’s administrators and returned to them upon completing their sentences,” he told Bernama recently.

Previously, eight inmates were involved in making frozen roti canai but have since transitioned to producing pau, which is distributed to external markets and sold to visitors at PRP Mantin.

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Mohd Arif explained that the inmates received guidance from experienced trainers to ensure they could produce high-quality pau for the market.

“This training is crucial to help them rebuild their lives after release, reducing the risk of them becoming a burden to others and falling back into past mistakes,” he said.

In addition to culinary projects, the Mantin PRP runs a car wash service operated by six Indonesian inmates who are close to completing their sentences.  

“This programme eases the government’s financial burden of covering airline tickets to repatriate these individuals after they have completed their sentences here.  

“We involve these foreign inmates in work at the PRP, and their earnings are saved to fund their return flight tickets later,” he said.

Meanwhile, an inmate known as Fatah, 25, said he and his peers produce a variety of pau, including coconut, red bean, pandan and chocolate flavours, which are sold at RM4 for a pack of 10.

He explained that the prepared pau are stored in a special cold storage cabin before being distributed by wholesalers to markets around Seremban and Perak.

Fatah, who was imprisoned for causing injury during a fight, expressed hope that the skills acquired at  PRP would help him build a new life without depending on others.

-- BERNAMA