Malaysia’s Prisons Department will launch standardised guidelines for managing elderly and disabled inmates, alongside 10,000 job opportunities for reintegration.
KUALA LUMPUR: The Prisons Department will introduce nationwide standardised guidelines this year for managing elderly and disabled inmates.
Commissioner General Datuk Abdul Aziz Abdul Razak said the move addresses a rising population of vulnerable inmates requiring special attention and a systematic duty-of-care approach.
He stated the guidelines will be developed with the Social Welfare Department and the Ministry of Health.
“We will draw on best practices from institutions handling the elderly and persons with disabilities outside the prison system,” he said at the 2026 New Year Address event.
The department is also targeting 10,000 job opportunities this year to support community-based reintegration for released inmates.
This follows a 91.19% approval rate for the Licensed Release of Prisoners scheme last year, which provided over 9,000 jobs.
Abdul Aziz said these jobs were created with 738 Corporate Social Involvement companies and initiatives like the Agropreneur Harapan programme with Universiti Putra Malaysia.
The department plans to open 20 District Parole Offices in 2026.
It will also implement the Home Detention Act and Offenders Compulsory Attendance Act (Amendment 2025).
“This focuses on restructuring the community rehabilitation system and enhancing the Inmate Reintegration Programme based on impact assessments,” he added.
The initiatives aim to ensure employability and social integration efforts are sustainable, effective, and positively impact the community.
