General : Proposed House Arrest Act Focuses On Remand Detainees, Prison Overcrowding
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 20 (Bernama) -- The proposed House Arrest Act is aimed at addressing prison overcrowding, particularly involving remand detainees, who make up a significant proportion of the prison population while awaiting trial.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution proposed the House Arrest Act to tackle prison overcrowding, particularly among remand detainees who make up a large portion of the prison population while awaiting trial. The proposal is not a novel idea, as Saifuddin had previously suggested it as one of the Home Ministry's measures in 2024 to improve the country's correctional system.
The concept involves court-ordered house arrest with electronic monitoring for eligible remand detainees awaiting trial, excluding serious criminal cases. Saifuddin clarified that prison inmates include those convicted and serving sentences as well as remand detainees who have not yet completed their court proceedings. Remand detainees are individuals charged but denied bail or unable to post bail, leading to their confinement in prison until trial.
Currently, Malaysia has 41 prisons housing 93,000 inmates, exceeding its capacity of 75,000. If the House Arrest Act is passed, eligible remand detainees could be placed under house arrest using electronic devices to monitor their movements until their trial. The Cabinet recently approved the in-principle for KDN to initiate drafting and tabling the House Arrest Act in Parliament, aiming to reduce prison overcrowding and enhance the country's correctional system management.
Written by urgent.news from Malay Mail's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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