Deputy minister tables Prisons Bill 2026, seeks electronic monitoring and volunteer support for reha

KUALA LUMPUR, June 23 — The Prisons (Amendment) Bill 2026, tabled for its first reading in the Dewan Rakyat today, proposes the use of electronic monitoring devices on inmates and the appointment of volunteers for rehabilitation programmes.

Deputy Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Shamsul Anuar Nasarah tabled the Bill to amend the Prisons Act 1995 (Act 537) and said its second reading is scheduled to take place during the current parliamentary sitting.

According to the Bill published on Parliament’s official website, the amendment seeks to empower the commissioner-general to order the installation of electronic monitoring devices on inmates, including those in prison, released on licence and on parole.

“The electronic monitoring device is installed on an inmate to monitor the inmate while he is inside or outside prison boundaries,” the Bill states.

The amendment also proposes penalties for tampering with, damaging, destroying or removing the device, with offenders liable to imprisonment of up to three years and required to pay compensation for any loss or damage.

The Bill further proposes a new Section 66A to allow the commissioner-general to appoint volunteers to assist prison officers in carrying out rehabilitation programmes.

Appointed volunteers may be paid allowances determined by the minister in consultation with the finance minister, but will not be entitled to remuneration and will be deemed public servants under the Penal Code while performing their duties.

The Bill also seeks to increase the general penalty for offences under Act 537 or its regulations where no specific penalty is provided, raising the maximum fine from RM500 to RM5,000 and the maximum prison term from six months to one year.

Other proposed amendments include the creation of a new rank of chief assistant superintendent of prison for senior officers and chief sub-inspector of prison as the highest rank for junior officers. — Bernama