Government mulls treatment instead of punishment for drug addicts - Saifuddin
KUALA LUMPUR - The Home Ministry’s proposed law would offer treatment for drug addicts rather than punishment said Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
Saifuddin said the law, if proposed and passed in parliament, would give priority to rehabilitation and treatment of drug addicts within a legal framework and would uphold efforts for a transformation of the prisons and detention centres.
"We are proposing amendments to the drug law or Act, especially Section 15 (1) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
"If the amendment gets the support and approval of the MPs, drug offenders will receive treatment instead of punishment after being certified by medical officers. Once certified we will take them straight to the rehab centres,” he said when winding his ministries reply in Dewan Rakyat today.
Saifuddin added that the government was also studying the prospect of carrying out home detention and suspended sentence with intervention by prison officers.
He added that both the newly minted initiatives would serve as a transformation for prisons and detention centres as well as prioritise the humanitarian elements, especially offenders who have health predicaments as well as to reduce congestion in prisons.
"... why home detention is important, lets study this scenario. A woman when detained and sentenced for whatever offence, is pregnant and has to serve the punishment. Under normal circumstances she would have to undergo such pregnancy in prison.
"... if we can detain such offenders at home physically, the pregnant mother will be outside the prison but we will affix an electronic gadget to monitor her movements. If we don’t explore the possibility, the pregnant offender will become an inmate in the Sungai Buloh, Kajang, Seremban, Penang or other prisons,” he said.
The parliament session continues tomorrow. - BERNAMA
