Some 200 students from five secondary schools in Selangor today visited the Kajang prison here under the ‘Avoid Crime and Drugs’ programme organised by Gerakan.
Gerakan Public Service and Complaints Bureau chief Wilson Lau Hoi Keong said the programme was aimed at exposing the students to life in prison as well as to listen to juvenile prisoners on their involvement in criminal activities.
He said it was the first programme organised by the party in effort to prevent students from getting caught up in criminal activities.
Meanwhile, the prison’s rehabilitation officer Solehhudin Hanafi said the programme could provide information to secondary school students about criminal behaviour, the atmosphere at the prison and the punishment to be undergone.
“About 400 out of the 3,994 inmates in Kajang prison are under the age of 21,” he told reporters.
He said these juvenile offenders were given a chance to further their study at two integrity schools which were set up in 2008 at the Kajang and Sungai Petani prisons.
Their performance in all examinations was encouraging, as two inmates excelled in the Sijil Peperiksaan Malaysia (SPM) last year, scoring 6As, he said.
A student from Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Seri Serdang, Nadiah Syuhada Azman, 15, said the opportunity to visit Kajang prison could give a good impact to students to not get involved in criminal activities.
“The fear of whipping and the hanging punishment made me realise this,” she told Bernama.
– Bernama
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