Prisoners In Malaysia Research Articles

The History of Education Development at Henry Gurney School, Malaysian Prison Department

The History of Education Development at Henry Gurney School, Malaysian Prison Department

The History of Education Development at Henry Gurney School, Malaysian Prison Department

The History of Education Development at Henry Gurney School, Malaysian Prison Department

Does the parole program affect recidivism? Qualitative Analysis in Malaysia

Objective: the objective of this study is to identify the critical factors that present challenges and opportunities for parolees in Malaysia to avoid committing repeated crimes and reduce recidivism.Methods: the study employs a qualitative approach, using face-to-face interviews with prison officers in the state of Pahang, Malaysia, to gather data. Content analysis is used to analyse the data and identify the critical factors for parole activities in Malaysia.Results: the study identified five crucial factors that affect parole activities in Malaysia: individuals, families, communities, private institutions, and government policies. Individuals refer to the characteristics and behavior of the parolee, while families and communities relate to the support and involvement of the parolee’s family and community in the rehabilitation process. Private institutions, such as Intermediate Houses and Corporate Smart Internship (CSI), can provide support and resources for parolees, and effective government policies and practices can ensure successful reintegration into society. Further studies could investigate the specific ways in which these factors influence parole activities in Malaysia and explore best practices for reducing recidivism rates.Scientific novelty: this study contributes to the literature on parole activities in Malaysia by identifying critical factors that can impact the success of the parole system in reducing recidivism. The study provides valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities faced by parolees in Malaysia.Practical significance: the findings of this study can be used by the Malaysian Prisons Department to develop effective strategies and policies to reduce recidivism rates and improve the success of the parole system. The study can also be used by other countries with similar parole systems to identify critical factors that impact the success of their parole programs.

Profile and Entrepreneurial Literacy among Former Prisoners in Malaysia

Profile and Entrepreneurial Literacy among Former Prisoners in Malaysia

Challenges And Expectation For Implementation Of Technical And Vocational Education Training (TVET) In Malaysian Prison Institutions: A Preliminary Study

The Malaysian Prison Department offers rehabilitation programmes for inmates that include guidance and counselling, disciplinary, religious and moral education, vocational and skills training and pre-release programs before they return to society as law-abiding citizens, and the success of this program is based on the recidivism rate. Implementation of Technical dan Vocational Education Training (TVET) in the Human Development Program (PPI) depends on the professional development of the instructor and must be in line with the national level requirement. Prison vocational instructors need to possess different teaching competencies due to their unique environment. This study aimed to identify and provide a new approach for training vocational teachers according to the needs of different stakeholders such as instructors, trainers (inmates) and related parties involved in TVET training. This study used a qualitative approach to collect the data. It used a semi-structured interview strategy with the educational experts in TVET, including training module developers, teaching experts, national industrial experts, prison senior officers, NDTS coaches, NDTS trainers and NDTS coordinators. The interview was to develop in-depth knowledge to enhance the data on the important domains of teaching competencies by thematic analysis. Analysis using NVivo, this study identified five core teaching competencies challenges faced by vocational instructors in prison: planning and preparation competencies, classroom preparation competencies, carrying out professional responsibilities’ competencies; instruction competencies; and assessment competencies. This study can be useful to Prison Vocational Instructors, Prison Management and also Prison Institutions that pursue accreditation on TVET teaching and learning.
 Keywords: Teaching Competency; Education; Prison; TVET

World of Colours for Boys behind the Walls: Malaysian prison library perspectives

Colour reflects our emotions and psychology. This fieldwork qualitative study is to explore the relationship between colour in the prison library with the juvenile delinquents emotional, psychology and interest. Data were collected using field interview with 20 male juvenile delinquents living in one of the correctional schools in Peninsular Malaysia. Our field interview has led us to conclude that the male juvenile delinquents are very interested in colours available in the library, especially with the library's collection of materials/books. The findings in this research are helpful in preparing the best prison library that can contribute to forming the perceptual space and will benefit the juvenile delinquents ’learning emotions, the process of thinking, psychological health and aesthetic conception Keywords: Male Juvenile Delinquents; Prison Library; Fieldwork; Malaysia. eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2022. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by E-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open-access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer-review under the responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behavior Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioral Researchers on Asians), and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behavior Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.

How I Managed to Integrate: An Analysis of the Protective Factors in Determining Good Life Events and Turning Points of Three Former Prisoners in Malaysia

Imprisonment impacts the life events and turning points of former prisoners upon release. The challenges faced during societal re-integration are contributing factors that shape the life events of former prisoners upon release and subsequently determine their turning point. This study aims to prove that positive life events will cause former prisoners to shape positive turning points after release. Criminal justice studies have since strived to understand the factors that cause former prisoners to repeat their crimes after being released from prison. However, in Malaysia, not many works have explored the factors that cause former prisoners to cease committing a crime. Besides, the successful re-integration of these prisoners is still understudied. The researchers conducted a qualitative study in Kuala Lumpur with 19 former prisoners. The results revealed that 16 informants had repeatedly committed crimes, while only three managed to desist. This study will describe the views and experiences of the three former prisoners (desisters) on how they desist from crime during re-integration. Only three desisters were considered and did not include 16 other recidivist informants since the objective of this study was to identify the success factors for re-integration and to understand the protective factors of former prisoners during re-integration into society. The crucial findings were also discussed, including family acceptance, the presence of a supportive spouse, employment, avoiding negative peers, no drug addiction and being healthy. These factors managed to prevent the former prisoners from committing crimes again.

The Prevalence of Clinical Depression and Its Associated Factors Among Adult Inmates in Kajang Prison, Malaysia

Information on clinical depression and its associated factors among prison inmates is especially scarce in countries of lower middle income. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of clinical depression and its associated factors among adult inmates in a Malaysian Prison. Clinical depression was assessed using Patient's Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Of the total 301 inmate participants, 127 (42.2%) had clinical depression. The associated factors include male gender, violent offense, and lower social support from friends. The findings may inform early intervention to prevent clinical depression among inmates.

Desistance and Recidivism Among Former Prisoners in Malaysia: A Proposed Model According to the Age-Graded Theory

The Age-Graded Theory suggests that the causes of premature delinquency and adult deviant behaviour are not the exclusive outcomes of individual characteristics since a particular incident in life can affect individuals, perpetuating their persistency in committing offences. This paper demonstrates that constructive events in life can successfully prevent former prisoners from being reinvolved in crime, whilst adverse life happenings can derail former prisoners from staying on the right path—a phenomenon known as recidivism. Adopting the phenomenology research paradigm, the findings of this paper are based on the empirical data from a Malaysian case study involving 19 former prisoners with criminal records of various offences. The findings of this study reveal that Age-Graded life-course events are essential predictors of former prisoner criminal behaviour, rendering the theory valuable, especially when it comes to modelling social reintegration strategies and interventions for former prisoners.

Three Major Interrelated Factors Contributing to Homelessness Issue among Former Prisoners in Malaysia

Homelessness issue among former prisoners in Malaysia upon their release is of great concern. Hence, this study aimed to identify the predominant factors influencing homelessness issue among former prisoners in Malaysia. Imprisonment is usually assumed to be a negative life event and can act as a hindrance for the former prisoner to successfully integrate after being freed from prison. Imprisonment and past criminal records are the biggest contributors to becoming homeless. This is a fact because imprisonment causes the former prisoners to lose his source of income, personal belongings, ability to seek shelter and personal relationships due to family rejection, addiction and unemployment. This study was based on the Ecological Model of Homeless by Nooe and Patterson. The selection of this model was considered appropriate and aligned with the objectives of the study which aimed to identify the factors that lead to the life of the homeless among former prisoners. In this study, nineteen former prisoners, regardless of the type of offence committed, were selected using the snowball sampling method and were interviewed. The findings revealed that family denial, unemployment, and drug addiction were the three major interrelated factors that contribute to the homelessness issue among the former prisoners during their reintegration process. Housing security is a risk factor of homelessness.

Sama-Badjao Halaw from South Ubian, Tawi-Tawi, Philippines from 2000-2018: Narratives

Issues on Filipino migration are widespread across the world. But the most prevailing and crucial one is the migration among the Sama-Badjao people in South Ubian in the province of Tawi-Tawi or widely known as halaw issue. Sama-Badjao people illegally migrate to Sabah, Malaysia because of poverty and desire to give their children a better future. This study specifically seeks to answer the following queries: who are Sama-Badjao halaw? What are the factors that push them to migrate to Sabah? What are their experiences as halaw in Sabah, Malaysia? What are the effects of halaw to the socioeconomic condition of Sama-Badjao society in South Ubian, Tawi-Tawi? This study is qualitative, narrative and descriptive in design. Data were gathered through personal interviews using the researcher’s designed guide questionnaire and phone interviews. The travel documents and removal order from the Malaysian and Philippine governments of the identified key informants were presented to validate the halaw key informants’ personal information. The data show that Sama-Badjao halaw from the municipality of South Ubian easily entered Sabah without detection from both government authorities. However, while Sama-Badjao halaw work in Sabah, sacrificing for the sake of their families’ economic survival in the Philippines, many of them were apprehended and imprisoned by the Malaysian authorities. After spending months in Malaysian prison, they were deported to the Philippines. Anxiety and harsh punishments were among the indelible experiences of Sama-Badjao halaw under the Malaysian prison.

Fuzzy Delphi Approach in The Development of a Human Model of Moral Education for Juvenile in Malaysian Prison Schools

The development and revision of the new curriculum currently brings changes in rapidly growing trends. In fact, this discipline is also being innovated in the form of a new dimension known as the futuristic curriculum or the future curriculum. In this 21st era, the future curriculum is seen as one of the requirements for designing, planning, implementing and evaluating an educational policy or policy. This study examines the application of the Soft Model of Moral Education for adolescents in Malaysian prison schools using the Fuzzy Delphi approach. The purpose of this study was to obtain expert views on the development of this model in the Moral Education curriculum, specifically for students in prison schools. Fuzzy Delphi (FDM) technique was used to obtain expert consensus by distributing instruments to 23 selected experts from various fields and backgrounds to answer research questions. The findings of the study showed that the expert group consensus was over 75% by noting 88% - 92% for each component in this model. In addition, the threshold value for most of the sub-items is 0.2 and a fuzzy score must be equal to or greater than 0.5 has also been achieved for all elements which is between 0.87-0.92. Overall, the expert consensus is "strongly agree" that the Soft Model is more effective in being used in Moral Education for adolescents in Malaysian prison schools.

“They Keep Returning to Chow Kit Road After Being Released From Prison” - Exploring the View of Professional Government Officers and Volunteers Towards the Internal Migration of Homeless Former Prisoners in Malaysia

In Malaysia, the migration and the concentration of homeless former prisoners around Chow Kit Road are not new, given that they choose to return to Chow Kit Road each time they are released. Government agencies and NGOs are aware of the concentration of homeless former prisoners from different states within Malaysia in Chow Kit Road because the NGOs around Chow Kit Road distribute food aid to help them. Hence, a qualitative method was employed in this study by interviewing two groups of samples, namely nine professional government officers and nine volunteer informants who serve around Chow Kit Road. Experienced government officers and volunteer informants divided the findings into two superordinate themes. The views of professional government officers lead to the formation of four sub-themes, namely the personal, social, economic, and urban infrastructure and services offered. In comparison, the superordinate themes determined by the volunteer informants included four sub-themes: economic, social, and personal factors, together with urban infrastructure and services. This study provided an overview of factors that attract these former prisoners to continue to migrate and concentrate in Chow Kit Road based on the perspectives of a professional government officer and volunteer informants.

Mediating Role of Quality of Life in the Relationship between Prison Climate and Life Satisfaction

This study emphasises the importance of Quality of Life (QoL) as a bridge between prison climate and life satisfaction among Malaysian drug-abuse inmates. The respondents are given a self-administered assessment randomly selected from the list of drug-abuse inmates in a Malaysian prison. The Structural Equation Modelling in IBM-SPSS-AMOS 25.0 is applied to model and calculate the inter-relationships among the constructs in the study. The results show that QoL significantly influences drug abuse inmates' prison climate and life satisfaction and partially mediates the relation between prison climate and life satisfaction among Malaysian drug-abuse inmates. QoL is essential to fulfil drug-abuse inmates' life satisfaction during imprisonment and achieve a better life in the community after being released from prison. Hence, practical contributions are proposed to the Malaysian Prison Department for designing appropriate policies and strategies to improve prison climate and QoL for achieving drug-abuse inmates' life satisfaction since Malaysian life satisfaction has become the government's priority in the 12th Malaysia Plan (2021-2025).

Profil dan Pengalaman Menggunakan Dadah dan Keterlibatan Jenayah Dalam Kalangan Banduan Melayu di Malaysia

The problem of drug use and crime worries many people as it threatens the well-being, harmony and security of the country and society. Over the years, this problem has been often associated with Malays compared to other ethnics. This study aims to identify the profiles and experiences of drug use and crime among Malay offenders. The study was conducted using a quantitative cross-sectional survey. A total of 301 Malay offenders who were charged for drug-related offences and serving their sentences in the Malaysian Prison Department were selected to participate in the study. The study has found that the majority of offenders involved in drug use and crime offences are young people aged 21-39 years old, unmarried, attained at least lower and/or upper secondary education SRP/SPM, employed prior to custody, and had income below than RM3,850 per month (B40). Based on their experiences of drug use, most offenders reported that they obtain drugs from the dealers and the average age of first drug use is between 30 to 35 years old. Methamphetamine is a popular drug used by majority of Malay offenders, and it is due to incredible enjoyment and peer pressure. The study also reported offenders spent between RM50 and RM100 to buy drugs in a day. Based on the experiences of crime, most of offenders reported to commit crimes at least twice a week and preferred to commit crime alone than in groups. The type of crime offences reported by most of Malay offenders are drug dealing, theft and burglary instead of drug use. Findings of this study have implications for the implementation of effective intervention and management offenders in terms of providing counseling services, skills, education, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation among offenders.

Relationship between Drug Craving and HighRisk Situations for Relapse Among Inmates with Substance Abuse Issues

Introduction: Relapse occurs when there is a strong desire for repeating drug-seeking behaviour due to high-risk situations such as social environment, interpersonal conflict, and negative emotions. Objective: This article aims to analyse the relationship between drug craving and high-risk situations for relapse among inmates with substance abuse issues serving in Malaysian prisons. Material and Methods: This study was conducted using a quantitative approach. A total number of 407 inmates with substance abuse issues were randomly selected as respondents of the study. The data were analysed using descriptive and inferential analysis via SPSS software. Results: The result indicates that there is a positive and significant moderate relationship between drug craving and high-risk situations for relapse (r=0.452, p˂0.01). Therefore, it can be concluded that drug craving is associated with high-risk situations for relapse among inmates with substance abuse issues. Conclusion: The findings of this study is expected to provide implications to the stakeholders such as counsellors and drug rehabilitation officers to improvise the existing rehabilitation modules and programs to address relapse issues among inmates in Malaysia.

DRUG-ABUSE INMATES MAQASID SHARIAH QUALITY OF LIFE: A CONCEPTUAL PAPER

Purpose of the study: The primary aim of this study is to explore the feasibility of Maqasid Shariah Quality of Life (MSQoL) in the drug-abuse inmates’ research. MSQoL is a recent theory formulated in terms of quality of life. Therefore, MSQoL proceeds to examine the association of family social support and prison climate rehabilitation on quality of life among drug-abuse inmates.
 Methodology: This study conceptually focused on a comprehensive analysis of MSQoL, family social support, and prison climate rehabilitation among drug abuse inmates.
 Main Finding: Researchers propose a model of MSQoL from dimensions of religion and life. Also, this research aims to link both dimensions to family social support and prison climate rehabilitation.
 Applications of this study: This study will make practical contributions to the Malaysian Prison Department on aspects related to improving drug-abuse inmates’ quality of life on designing appropriate policies and strategies.
 Novelty/Originality of this study: The current research provides a theoretical framework for prospective researchers engaged in prison studies. Since the quality of life has become the government’s priorities under the 12th Malaysia Plan (2021-2025), the promotion of a new model is essential for a better quality of life of Malaysians.

Managing, Profiling and Family Support of Malaysian Women Drug Abuse Inmates

Women engaging in the use of drugs have not only adverse effects on the country but also impose significant challenges in managing their incarceration and maintaining stable family structures. The review, therefore, aims to identify the approach of Malaysian Prison Department (PRIDE) in managing women’s drug abuse inmates as well as to explore their addiction experiences and, to determine the extent of family relationships they have by applied quantitative approach and cross-sectional analysis. One hundred fifty women respondent selected from the random stratified sample of Kajang Women Prison, Selangor inmates. Data then analyzed by using descriptive analysis. Results from this study provide an insight into the practical method by PRIDE to reduce demand through drug treatment and rehabilitation and to reduce supply and improving detection. The results of the study showed that majority of the respondents were Malay, Muslim, age range between 31 to 40 years, highest education level at SPM/MCE/SPVM and still single. More than half of the respondents were self-employed with monthly income between RM1001.00 to RM2000.00. A majority had been imprisonment between two to five times, with six to ten years length of addiction and, methamphetamines become the most drug had been abuse. Finding also showed that the majority of drug inmates engaged in a high level of family relationship. Findings from this research yielded vast implications to improve drug abuse safety and security as well as treatment and rehabilitation programs, particularly among women drug abuse inmates in Malaysia.

Determinants of Customer Intention to Purchase Social Enterprise Products: A Structural Model Analysis

This study aims to examine the determinants of customers’ intention to purchase social enterprise products. The data were collected using a self-administrated questionnaire consisting of 360 respondents from consumers of social enterprise products (MyPride products) sold by current prisoners in Malaysia. Using the Partial Least Square (SmartPLS) technique, the effect of attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control on consumers’ intention to purchase products were explored based on Ajzen’s Theory of Plan Behaviour (TPB). The findings reveal that the strongest relationship was found between attitudes and consumers’ intention to purchase products, followed by the subjective norm and perceived behavioural control. This study provides new insights into the TPB and customers’ intention to purchase products made by prisoners. The findings are valuable to social enterprise products and other social enterprises to improve their products based on the customers’ insights.

Knowledge and Practice on Tuberculosis among Prison Workers from Seremban Prison

Background: Prisons are always overcrowded, and congestion leads to close relationships, and subsequently, increases the likelihood of airborne illnesses including Tuberculosis (TB). The purpose of this study was to identify the level of knowledge of TB transmission, and TB preventive practices of prison workers in a Malaysian prison. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with convenience sampling technique utilizing a validated questionnaire. 280 prison workers employed at the Seremban Prison were invited to participate in the study. The study period was from January 2019 to June 2019. Inclusion criteria included age above 18 years old and English literacy. The questionnaire was divided into 3 parts which were sociodemographic details, knowledge on TB transmission and TB preventive practices. The analysis was done in SPSS version 24.0 using appropriate statistical tests. Descriptive statistics was used to evaluate the knowledge level of TB transmission, and TB preventive practices of prison workers at Seremban prison. Results: Around 190 questionnaires were obtained usable registering a response rate of 68.5%. This study showed that around 66% of prison workers had moderate knowledge while around 26% had good knowledge of TB transmission. In terms of practice, around 93.7% of prison workers applied good TB prevention practice. Conclusion: This study showed that the majority of the respondents had moderate knowledge regarding TB transmission. However, their disease preventive practices were at acceptable levels which implied that existing prison standard operating procedures play an important on instilling these practices. Nonetheless, prison management should take important action by providing education and training to increase TB knowledge among prison workers to ensure that this practice is always upheld in both prison and community settings.