MALAYSIAN prisons have exceeded their total capacity of 61,242 inmates by 13.3%, Deputy Home Minister Ismail Mohamed Said said.  

He said the total number of prisoners incarcerated at the moment stands at 69,507. 

“The Prisons Department has taken several measures to reduce congestion, including the transfer of inmates to other prisons that are not overcrowded. 

“Thirteen camps meant for the National Service programme were converted into satellite prisons to isolate and screen detainees before imprisoning them,” he said in the Dewan Rakyat today.  

He was replying to Wan Hassan Mohd Ramli (Dungun-PAS), who raised the issue of overcrowding in prisons. 

Ismail said the measures taken by the government were to curb the spread of Covid-19. – September 28, 2021.