Malaysian Prison Department - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Malaysian Prison Department is a department controlled by the Malaysian Ministry of Internal Security

Ministry of Internal Security

- History :This ministry was established in March 2004 by dividing the Home Ministry into two ministries, namely Ministry of Internal Security And Ministry of Home Affairs....

responsible for jails where offenders sentenced by the courts are held. These jails also act as detention and recovery institutions.

Insignia

The fourteen-point star represents the 13 States and the Federal Government of Malaysia, while the star and the crescent symbolise Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...

, the official religion of Malaysia.
The crossed keys symbolise the authority and responsibility delegated by the department in the performance of its duties.
The paddy flower symbolises solidarity and close co-operation by multiracial staff at various levels in the hierarchy.
The green background, the official colour of the Prisons Department, signifies allegiance to the Malaysian leader.

Motto

Cheerful, Sincere and Dedicated

Shall faithfully carry out departmental duties to uphold the national criminal legal system and shoulder the task of rehabilitation of offenders entrusted upon the department by the nation with full responsibility and dedication.

Green colour

Symbolises the objective of the department to reform citizens who have lapsed into moral decay and turn them into productive individuals who are once again able to fit into to society as useful citizens able to fulfill their social obligations.

Sketch Heart and Hand

Symbolises the commitment by society to re-accommodate ex-convicts into social institutions without any kind of prejudice which may jeopardise their rehabilitation programme.

Silver background
Symbolises the sincerity of the departments management system in generating commitment and co-operation among society at large, offender families and the department to ensure the success of rehabilitation programmes.

Vision, mission and objectives

The Prison Department states that its vision, mission, objectives, and function are:
Vision

To be a world-class correctional organization by the year 2020

Mission

To protect the public by providing safe detention and effective rehabilitation programmes.

Objectives

To ensure inmates serve their detention period until release;
To ensure the safety of prisoners, staff and the public;
To ensure inmate treatment is based on humanitarian values;
To ensure that inmate rehabilitation programmes are implemented effectively.

Function

To execute Detention Orders on inmates issued by the court or relevant authorities until their release;
To restrain and treat inmates based on humanitarian values while undergoing detention;
To carry out rehabilitative programmes on inmates through various approaches.

Prison history

Prison are different from other institutions or organisations found in a modern society. They are places where a group of trained personnel manages and looks after a group of people known as prisoners who are not there voluntarily and are instead forced inside and prevented from leaving by guards, walls and gates. A Prison Department cannot choose its clients and they have no power to release them. These prisoners have to live according to set of prescribed rules, and their movements are tightly controlled.

History of Malaysian prisons

During the era of British rule

British Malaya

British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries...

and until the arrival of the Japanese in 1942, penal institutions were the responsibility of he individual states' governments with their respective regulations. In the Straits Settlements

Straits Settlements

The Straits Settlements were a group of British territories located in Southeast Asia.Originally established in 1826 as part of the territories controlled by the British East India Company, the Straits Settlements came under direct British control as a crown colony on 1 April 1867...

, a Superintendent

Superintendent (police)

Superintendent , often shortened to "super", is a rank in British police services and in most English-speaking Commonwealth nations. In many Commonwealth countries the full version is superintendent of police...

based in Singapore

Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

, acted as the supervisor and inspected the institutions under his jurisdiction.

The Straits Settlements were the earliest to build their own prisons while the Federated Malay States

Federated Malay States

The Federated Malay States was a federation of four protected states in the Malay Peninsula—Selangor, Perak, Negeri Sembilan and Pahang—established by the British government in 1895, which lasted until 1946, when they, together with the Straits Settlements and the Unfederated Malay...

did so only after the British set up a responsible department. The Taiping Prison, better known as the Taiping Gaol, the largest at the time, was built in 1879. Prisons were built with the main purpose of bringing suffering to the inmates in the hope that this would deter people from committing crimes.

In 1881, Sikh

Sikh

A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...

warders were brought in to assist Malay warders while vocational instructors from Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

were used in an effort to introduce trades to the prisons. Among the earliest of these were rock breaking and carpentry. An attempt was made to categorise the inmates in 1882, then in 1889 European warders were appointed at some prisons.

With the formation of the Federated Malay States

Federated Malay States

, Taiping Prison became a detention centre for long-term prisoners from Perak

Perak

Perak , one of the 13 states of Malaysia, is the second largest state in the Peninsular Malaysia bordering Kedah and Yala Province of Thailand to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, Selangor the Strait of Malacca to the south and west.Perak means silver in Malay...

, Pahang

Pahang

Pahang is the third largest state in Malaysia, after Sarawak and Sabah, occupying the huge Pahang River river basin. It is bordered to the north by Kelantan, to the west by Perak, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, to the south by Johor and to the east by Terengganu and the South China Sea.Its state...

, Negeri Sembilan

Negeri Sembilan

Negeri Sembilan, one of the 13 states that constitutes Malaysia, lies on the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia, just south of Kuala Lumpur and borders Selangor on the north, Pahang in the east, and Malacca and Johor to the south....

and Selangor

Selangor

Selangor also known by its Arabic honorific, Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity") is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east, Negeri Sembilan to the south and the Strait of Malacca to the west...

. In 1923, a visiting justice system was introduced and prison industries expanded to include printing work, weaving, sewing, rattan

Rattan

Rattan is the name for the roughly 600 species of palms in the tribe Calameae, native to tropical regions of Africa, Asia and Australasia.- Structure :...

weaving, and metalwork. Rock-breaking work was abolished in 1924 and replaced with the pounding of coconut husks.

During the Japanese occupation (1941–1945), the Imperial Japanese Army

Imperial Japanese Army

-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...

also used the prisons for POWs. All records of the prisons and and its inmates for this period were subsequently destroyed by the Japanese.

After World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, the Prison Office was established to administer all prisons in Malaya. The post-war era saw the return of peace, and modern administrative methods were introduced. The 1948 Malayan Emergency

Malayan Emergency

The Malayan Emergency was a guerrilla war fought between Commonwealth armed forces and the Malayan National Liberation Army , the military arm of the Malayan Communist Party, from 1948 to 1960....

resulted in an increase in inmate numbers, which in turn caused overcrowding in the prisons. This disrupted the development of the prison system and it was only towards the end of 1949 when peace returned that prison development could be carried out smoothly.

The Prisons Ordinance 1952 and the Prisons Regulations 1953, based on the "modern treatment" concept, were introduced to replace old legislation. In 1953, the Criminal Justice Bill was passed, which abolished use of the cat-o'-nine-tails and replaced the term "penal servitude" with "prison".

Following Independence Day in 1957, the first Prisons Commissioner was appointed to take charge of the administration of all prisons in Malaya. In 1963, with the formation of Malaysia, prisons in Sabah

Sabah

Sabah is one of 13 member states of Malaysia. It is located on the northern portion of the island of Borneo. It is the second largest state in the country after Sarawak, which it borders on its southwest. It also shares a border with the province of East Kalimantan of Indonesia in the south...

and Sarawak

Sarawak

Sarawak is one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. Known as Bumi Kenyalang , Sarawak is situated on the north-west of the island. It is the largest state in Malaysia followed by Sabah, the second largest state located to the North- East.The administrative capital is Kuching, which...

came under the jurisdiction of the Prisons Department.

On 2 November 1995, the Prison Act 1995 was introduced to replace the former Prison Act which in turn was superseded on 1 September 2000 by the Prison Regulations 2000. The previous acts and regulations had been in use for a long time, thus changes and reforms were necessary to meet current needs and demands to streamline prison management and administration.

In an era of development and modernisation, the Malaysian Prison Department realises that it should not to be content with is past achievements, but should instead move forward and innovate in order to assist the prison administration in dealing with modern culture through criminology, penology and overall social control.

Chief Directors since 1946

Captain Es Lilley (1946-04-01 - 1949-09-11)
Captain Ov Garrat (1949-09-11 - 1956-10-01)
Ft. Lt. WB Oliver (1956-10-01 - 1957-10-02)
Tan Sri Murad Ahmad (1957-10-03 - 1977-07-24)
Dato' Ibrahim Hj. Mohamed (1977-07-25 - 1988-04-30)
Dato' Hj. Nik Ariffin Hj. Nik Omar (1988-05-01 - 1989-11-07)
Dato' Mohd. Yassin Hj. Jaafar (1990-03-01 - 1994-02-07)
Dato' Mohd Zaman Khan (1994-02-09 - 1997-12-31)
Dato' Omar Mohamed Dan (1998-01-01 - 2001-10-16)
Datuk Mustafa b. Osman (2001-10-17 - 2009-06-01)
Datuk Wira Zulkifli b. Omar (2009-06-01 - present)

Weaponry / Equipment

UNGERIN operators are equipped with multi specialized weaponry and marine assault vehicles, including:-
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Standard Weapons
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Origin
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Versions
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Quantity
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Notes
|----
! style="align: center; background: lavender;" colspan="7" | Handgun/Revolver Types
|----
| Glock 17
|

Austria
| Standard
| Not known
| In used by prison senior officers as well as Trup Tindakan Cepat

Trup Tindakan Cepat

Trup Tindakan Cepat , or TTC, is the Malaysian counter-terrorism squad, and part of the Malaysian Prisons Department. Formed on 3 October 2005, it is equipped and trained by Malaysian special forces...

Smith & Wesson M&P

The Smith & Wesson Model 10, previously known as the Smith & Wesson Military & Police or the Smith & Wesson Victory Model, is a .38-caliber revolver developed from the Smith & Wesson .38 Hand Ejector Model of 1889. In production since 1899, it is a fixed-sight, six-shot handgun with a fluted...

|
| Standard
| Not known
| In used as service pistols of Prison Department
|----
! style="align: center; background: lavender;" colspan="7" | Shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...

Types
|----
| Remington 870

Remington 870

The Remington Model 870 is a U.S.-made pump-action shotgun manufactured by Remington Arms Company, Inc. It is widely used by the public for sport shooting, hunting, and self-defense. It is also commonly used by law enforcement and military organizations worldwide.-Development:The Remington 870 was...

Shotgun
|
| 18.5mm breaching

Breaching round

A breaching round or slug-shot is a shotgun shell specially made for the purposes of door breaching. It is typically fired at a range of 6 inches or less, aimed at the hinges or the area between the doorknob and lock and door jamb, and is designed to destroy the object it hits and then disperse...

shotgun

Shotgun

A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...

Heckler & Koch MP5

The Heckler & Koch MP5 is a 9mm submachine gun of German design, developed in the 1960s by a team of engineers from the German small arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch GmbH of Oberndorf am Neckar....

|
| Various types
| Unknown
| Use by TTC and Prisons personnels
|----
! style="align: center; background: lavender;" colspan="7" | Assault rifle
Assault rifle
An assault rifle is a selective fire rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge and a detachable magazine. Assault rifles are the standard infantry weapons in most modern armies...

Types
|----
| Colt M16

M16 rifle

The M16 is the United States military designation for the AR-15 rifle adapted for both semi-automatic and full-automatic fire. Colt purchased the rights to the AR-15 from ArmaLite, and currently uses that designation only for semi-automatic versions of the rifle. The M16 fires the 5.56×45mm NATO...

|
| M16A1, M16A4
| Unknown
| In used by Prisons Department, TTC using the M16A4 with SOPMOD

SOPMOD

The Special Operations Peculiar MODification kit is an accessory system for the M4A1 carbine and FN SCAR Mk 16/17 used by USSOCOM...

equipments
|----
! style="align: center; background: lavender;" colspan="7" | Sniper Types
|----
| Accuracy International Arctic Warfare

Accuracy International Arctic Warfare

The Accuracy International Arctic Warfare rifle is a family of bolt-action sniper rifles designed and manufactured by the British company Accuracy International...

FN MAG

The FN MAG is a Belgian 7.62 mm general-purpose machine gun, designed in the early 1950s at Fabrique Nationale by Ernest Vervier. It has been used by more than 80 countries, and it has been made under licence in countries such as Argentina, Egypt, India, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the...

TASER International

Taser International, Inc. is a developer, manufacturer, and distributor of the Taser less-lethal electroshock guns in the United States. It is based at Scottsdale, Arizona, United States. Taser is the most common brand of electroshock gun.-History:...

|
| Standard
| Unknown
| -
|----

External links

Websites of Malaysian Prison Department

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