KLUANG: The Civil Defence Force is considering opening its volunteer ranks to former inmates released on licence, as part of efforts to support their reintegration into society.
Southern Region Civil Defence Training Centre (Pulapas) commander Lieutenant Colonel Amir Sarifudin Zalman said the proposal aligned with the force’s motto: “from the community, for the community.”
He said that the initiative, still under review, would be discussed at the federal level and submitted to the government for approval, as volunteers receive allowances funded by the state.
“This approach ensures that former inmates have structured employment within a uniformed unit, providing dignity and a sense of pride for their families,” he said after the Ihsan Madani Licensed Release of Prisoners (PBSL) programme at Kluang Prison today.
Amir added that the plan would be refined in collaboration with the Prisons Department prior to implementation.
Kluang Prison director Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Nazri Nasrudin said 41 inmates — 35 men and six women serving sentences of less than three years — were released under the PBSL programme today.
Since its introduction in 2021, a total of 4,345 inmates have been freed nationwide under the initiative, continuing rehabilitation through Community Rehabilitation Programmes supervised by district parole officers.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
