KAJANG: The Prisons Department wants to set up a Correctional Foundation to enhance the rehabilitation programme for prisoners and to address cases of repeat offenders, says Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

He said the foundation would serve as the trustee for funds obtained by the department that would be used for rehabilitation programmes and to pay for their education fees.

“We want to give more emphasis on the correctional aspects of the prisoner rehabilitation so that they can become useful human beings and not repeat their mistakes when they are freed,” he said after visiting the Kajang Prison yesterday.

Dr Ahmad Zahid said one of the rehabilitation programmes available was the distance learning programme by Open University Malaysia (OUM), which provides tertiary education for those serving time.

Prisoners are accorded the same facilities extended to regular OUM students except that they must be supervised by prison authorities.

Dr Ahmad Zahid said that so far 37 inmates from Kajang Prison had been accepted into the programme, while three had graduated.

“The rate of recidivism is zero for those who participated in the programme,” he added.

He also said the funds earned from the sales of products made by the prisoners would be used to pay for the studies of those who could not afford them.-thestar