NGO Support Key To Reintegration Of Prospects Post Release - Home Minister

JOHOR BAHRU, June 13 (Bernama) -- The Home Ministry welcomes greater participation by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in working with the Prisons Department to manage and strengthen Halfway Houses nationwide.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said community involvement was crucial in providing a support system to help prospects (the official term used for prison inmates) reintegrate into society after their release.

He said the Prisons Department introduced Halfway Houses as temporary shelters after finding that some prospects faced difficulties when their families or local communities were unwilling to accept them back immediately upon release.

“When we release them, we sometimes find that their families do not accept them and society does not accept them. So we provide a temporary shelter through the Halfway House programme.

“We continue to look after them by providing accommodation and support. While they are there, they are able to work and earn an income until their families are ready to accept them again,” he said.

Saifuddin Nasution was speaking about collaboration opportunities between NGOs and the Prisons Department at the Home Minister's Town Hall Session with MADANI NGOs at the state level at Dewan Cahaya, TNB Kempas, here today.

He said NGO support was vital to ensure prospects did not feel isolated or ostracised, which could otherwise leave them viewing life outside prison as a ‘second prison’.

“This is where NGOs can come in and play a role in assisting prospects at the Halfway Houses. The opportunity is certainly there,” he said, adding that NGOs could serve as managers, providers of support programmes and social bridges to help former inmates regain acceptance within their families and communities.

Through this ecosystem, he said, prospects are not only provided with shelter and guidance, but are also assisted in securing employment and generating their own income to support themselves.

To date, 20 Halfway Houses are operating nationwide, providing temporary accommodation for up to three months for pre-release inmates and former prisoners who have completed their sentences.

The initiative not only serves as a social transition phase before they return to society, but also provides an important platform for NGOs to implement intervention programmes, offer moral support and career guidance, and help former inmates achieve self-reliance.

-- BERNAMA