The Malaysian Prison Department (; Jawi: ; ), is a department under Malaysia's Ministry of Home Affairs responsible for prisons where offenders sentenced by the courts are held. These prisons also serve as detention and recovery institutions.
The department is headquartered in the Malaysia Prison Complex (Kompleks Penjara Kajang) in Kajang, Selangor."Home." Prison Department of Malaysia. Retrieved on 7 August 2014. "Malaysia Prison Complex, Kajang Selangor." Map."IBU PEJABAT PENJARA MALAYSIA." Prison Department of Malaysia. Retrieved on 7 August 2014. "Bukit Wira, Beg Berkunci No. 212, 43000 Kajang, SELANGOR DARUL EHSAN"
History During British colonial rule and the Japanese occupation from 1941 to 1945, penal institutions were the responsibility of the individual states' governments with their respective regulations. In the Straits Settlements, a Superintendent based in Singapore served 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 did so only after the British set up a responsible department. Taiping Prison, 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 it would deter people from committing crimes.
In 1881, Sikh warders were brought in from India to assist Malay warders while vocational instructors from Hong Kong were brought in too an effort to introduce trades to the inmates. 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, Taiping Prison became a detention centre for long-term prisoners from Perak, Pahang, Negeri Sembilan and Selangor. In 1923, a visiting justice system was introduced and prison industries expanded to include printing work, weaving, sewing, rattan weaving, and metalwork. Rock-breaking work was abolished in 1924 and replaced with the pounding of coconut husks.
During the Japanese occupation from 1941 to 1945, the Imperial Japanese Army also used the prisons for housing prisoners-of-war (POWs). All records of the prisons and the POWs for this period were subsequently destroyed by the Japanese by the end of the war.
After the war, 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 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, abolishing the use of the cat o' nine tails for corporal punishment and replacing 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 and Sarawak 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. The Malaysian Prison Department also carries out capital punishment in the form of long-drop hanging, and corporal punishment in the form of whipping with a rotan.
In an era of development and modernisation, the Malaysian Prison Department realises that it should not to be content with its 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.
Insignia
The fourteen-point star represents the 13 States and the Federal Government of Malaysia, while the star and the crescent symbolise Islam, 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 Source:
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 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.
Organisational structure
Prison heads AppointmentRankAbbreviationNameCommissioner General of PrisonCommissioner General of PrisonKJP Y'Bhg Dato Hj Nordin Bin MohamadDeputy Commissioner General of PrisonDeputy Commissioner General of Prison (1)TKJP Y'Bhg Dato' Haji Abdul Aziz Bin Abdul RazakDeputy Commissioner General of PrisonDeputy Commissioner General of Prison (2) TKJP Abdul Kadir Bin Hj RaisDeputy Commissioner General of PrisonDeputy Commissioner General of Prison (3) TKJP Y'Bhg Dato Ibrisham Abd RahmanDirector of Perlis PrisonSenior Assistant Commissioner of PrisonPKKMat Johir bin Asin @ HashimDirector of Kedah PrisonDeputy Commissioner of PrisonTKPSabri YaakobDirector of Penang PrisonDeputy Commissioner of PrisonTKPRoslan MohamadDirector of Perak PrisonDeputy Commissioner of PrisonTKPTan Tian HengDirector of Kelantan PrisonDeputy Commissioner of PrisonTKPHamzani bin Che IbrahimDirector of Terengganu PrisonDeputy Commissioner of PrisonTKPAhmad Saidi HamzahDirector of Pahang PrisonCommissioner of PrisonKPDato' Ab Basir bin MohamadDirector of Kuala Lumpur PrisonCommissioner of PrisonKPY'Bhg Dato Sakeri Bin DollahDirector of Selangor PrisonCommissioner of PrisonKPY'Bhg Dato Sakeri Bin DollahDirector of Negeri Sembilan PrisonSenior Assistant Commissioner of PrisonPKKPKK Abd Rahman bin TaibDirector of Malacca PrisonDeputy Commissioner of PrisonTKPKu NawawiDirector of Johore PrisonCommissioner of PrisonKPAbd. Wahab KassimDirector of Sabah PrisonDeputy Commissioner of PrisonTKPHajah Nora Binti MusaDirector of Sarawak PrisonDeputy Commissioner of PrisonTKPRosidek Bin Musa
Specialised units
Trup Tindakan Cepat
Control and Prevention Unit
The Control and Prevention Unit, known in Malay as Unit Kawalan dan Pencegahan (UKP), is the paramilitary arm of the Prison Department, tasked with maintaining order and security within prison facilities.
The UKP's duties include:
Patrolling prison premises Preventing the smuggling of contraband into prisons Controlling riots and ensuring order among inmates Inspecting newly arrived prisoners Managing internal gate controls within prison facilities
UKP recruits from the ranks of prison officers, favouring individuals with larger, more robust builds due to the physical demands of the role, including the need to overpower inmates during inspections. Members of this unit are identified by their maroon berets and their black-and-white camouflage combat uniforms.
This unit functions much like an infantry unit, adapted to the unique challenges of correctional environments.
List of leaders Commissioners general # Commissioner General In office Left office Time in office1. Captain Es Lilley 2. Captain Ov Garrat 3. Ft. Lt. WB Oliver 4. Tan Sri Murad Ahmad 5. Dato' Ibrahim Hj. Mohamed 6. Dato' Nik Ariffin Nik Omar 7. Dato' Mohd. Yassin Jaafar 8. Dato' Mohd Zaman Khan 9. Dato' Omar Mohamed Dan 10. Datuk Mustafa Osman 11. Dato' Sri Zulkifli Omar 12. Dato' Nordin Muhamad Incumbent
Deputy commissioners general Deputy Commissioner General YearDato Ibrahim MohamedDato Nik Arifin Nik OmarMohd Nadzry Kushairi 1990–1993Datuk Omar Mohamad Dan 1994–1997 Datuk Mustafa Osman 1998–2001Donald Wee May Keun 2004–2005Samsuddin Tan Sri Murad 2006Dato' Seri Zulkifli Omar 2006–2008Dato' Wan Mohamad Nazarie Wan Mahmood 2007–2012Datuk Hassan Sakimon 2009–2017Dato' Wan Abdul Rahman Wan Abdullah 2012–2017Dato' Alzafry Mohamad Alnassif Mohamad Adahan 2017 – 2020Dato' Jamaluddin Saad 2017 – 2020Dato' Haji Abdul Aziz Bin Abdul Razak 2017 – currentAbd Kadir Hj Rais 2020-2023
Institutions
Headquarters
Malaysian Prison Headquarters, Kajang Sarawak Prison Headquarters, Kuching Sabah Prison Headquarters, Kota Kinabalu
Prison
Kedah Pokok Sena Prison Sungai Petani Prison Alor Star Prison
Penang Penang Prison Seberang Prai Prison
Perak Taiping Prison Tapah Prison
Selangor Sungai Buloh Prison Kajang Prison Kajang Women's Prison
Negeri Sembilan Jelebu Prison Seremban Prison
Melaka Ayer Keroh Prison Sg. Udang Prison Banda Hilir Prison
Johor Simpang Renggam Prison Kluang Prison
Pahang Bentong Prison Penor Prison
Terengganu Marang Prison
Kelantan Pengkalan Chepa Prison
Sarawak Puncak Borneo Prison Sibu Prison Miri Prison Bintulu Prison Sri Aman Prison Limbang Prison
Sabah Kota Kinabalu Prison Kota Kinabalu Women's Prison Tawau Prison Sandakan Prison
Correctional Centre Perlis Correctional Centre Puncak Alam Correctional Centre Labuan Correctional Centre
Juvenile School
Henry Gurney School, Telok Mas, Malacca (boys & girls) Henry Gurney School, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah (all-girls) Henry Gurney School, Keningau, Sabah (all-boys) Henry Gurney School, Puncak Borneo, Kuching, Sarawak (all-boys) Henry Gurney School, Batu Gajah, Perak
Defunct Prison and Headquarters
Malaysian Prison Headquarters, Taiping, Perak Pudu Prison, Kuala Lumpur (1895–1996) Johor Bahru Prison, Johor (1882–2005) Kuala Lipis Prison, Kuala Lipis, Pahang Kuantan Prison, Kuantan, Pahang Pulau Jerejak Prison, Penang Sim Sim Prison, Sandakan, Sabah (1850–1981) Banda Hilir Prison (1900-2009), now as Museum Prison
Equipment Malaysian Prison Department operators are equipped with multi-specialized weaponry and marine assault vehicles, including: +ModelTypeOriginUsageTaser X26Less lethal weaponStandard issueSmith & Wesson Model 15RevolverSmith & Wesson M&PSemi-automatic pistolGlock 17Used by senior officers and the TTCRemington 870ShotgunStandard issueBenelli NovaUsed by the TTCHeckler & Koch MP5Submachine gunStandard issueCZ Scorpion Evo 3Used by the TTCColt M16Assault rifleStandard issue A2 and the TTC uses M16A4 with SOPMODFN MAGMachine gunStandard issueAccuracy International PMSniper rifleUsed by the TTCCS Mk.IVGrenade launcherStandard issue
Major cases and incidents
1981 Botak Chin
1986 Pudu Prison siege
Famous inmates Botak Chin Kevin Barlow and Brian Chambers Mona Fandey Najib Razak, former Prime Minister
Malaysian Prison Department in popular culture
Television Patahnya Sebelah Sayap (Half Wing Broken) – Malay drama created by Ayie Mustafa