GEORGE TOWN: Former prison inmates have high hopes of rejoining the community peacefully and take up jobs to earn a living, however this is not as easy as it appears to be.

To tackle the problem, the Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF) made a working visit to the Seberang Perai Prison to discuss with its management on how they can work together to help those who have turned over a new leaf.

Penang MCPF chairman Datuk Seri Syed Jaafar Syed Ali believes it is crucial for them to lend a hand while working with the prison administration.

Syed Jaafar was accompanied by Crime Prevention and Community Safety unit chief SAC Datuk Mohamad Anil Shah and they were met by Penang Prisons director Roslan Mohamed.

The purpose of the visit was to find ways in which they could help these inmates return to the community and become a better person.

“However at times it is not easy, family issues and the inability to secure jobs might see them falling back into illegal activities as they lose hope after trying.

“We are looking at ways on how to help them, we do not want them to return to prison again. We are also looking at ways how the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) can assist,” he said when contacted recently.

MCPF also will take look at ways to enhance their Crime Prevention Awareness efforts by inviting former prison inmates to their programmes for the community at large.

The sharing session could deliver the message that ‘crime does not pay’, Syed Jaafar remarked.

“This will require collaboration, cooperation and coordination with the Prisons Department and the police,” he added.

This document first appeared on New Straits Time (NST). Image above is sourced from NST.