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| Prison Department Headquarters in Kajang, Selangor. There are also plans to allow about two-thirds of inmates who have been deemed suitable to undergo corrective programs outside the prison to do so under various community programs. (Photo from Facebook/Kompleks Ibu Pejabat Penjara Malaysia) |
[Asia News = Reporter Reakkana] KUALA LUMPUR: Deputy Home Minister Ismail Mohamed Said revealed that about 51,000 individuals including inmates, prison staff and their family members have contracted COVID-19 since last year. Speaking in parliament on Tuesday (Sep 28), Dr. Ismail said figures from the Prison Department showed a total of 51,123 individuals comprising prison inmates, staff, and their family members had contracted COVID-19, CNA reported.
They included nine babies who were born in prison. He’s responding to a supplementary question from opposition lawmaker RSN Rayer who asked if there were any plans by the prison department to vaccinate the inmates. The Jelutong MP said that many court cases had been affected by the COVID-19 infections in prison which had affected the inmates and their family members. He added that prison inmates should also be vaccinated and be given the best vaccine available.
The deputy minister replied that his ministry would ensure that prison staff and inmates are given the vaccine. Earlier in the day, the deputy minister, citing statistics from the Prison Department, noted that there is an overcrowding issue in the prison system. The current number of inmates stands at 69,507, he said. This is 13.5 percent more than the prison capacity nationally, which is 61,200.
