MCO offenders to be housed in correctional academies, says minister

KUALA LUMPUR (April 15): The Malaysia Prison Department’s correctional academies will be “gazetted” as detention centres for those who went against the movement control order (MCO) rulings, announced Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob (pictured), the Malay Mail reported today.

This is because there are concerns about over overcrowding and the lack of social distancing when the MCO offenders are detained.

“When brought to court, and the court gives out jail sentences, there is an issue of the prisons being overcrowded and certainly social distancing can’t be practised.

“Therefore, the meeting yesterday decided that the Home Ministry will gazette 13 prison academies as new detention centres for offenders who breach the MCO and other related offences. As we have 13 correctional academies, we will convert them to prison or detention centres for offenders who breach the MCO, we can solve issues related to social distancing,” Ismail Sabri said during a media conference broadcast today.

The minister however also warned that the MCO offenders should not expect special treatment at the detention centres and they will “be bound by the same rules as prisons”.

“Although the correctional academies are to be detention centres, the rules and laws are the same as normal prisons. It does not mean that when you enter these detention centres, the food will be luxurious, no, it will still be bound by normal prison SOP,” the news portal reported him saying.

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