Prisoner grateful for early release, eager to become better person

GEORGE TOWN - A prison inmate is grateful for being given a second chance to change after being released through the Licensed Release of Prisoners (PBSL).

Amy (male), 25, felt that the seven months behind bars had a profound impact on him, especially since he lost his beloved mother who passed away last August due to a lung infection.

"I am devastated that I couldn't be there for my mother's final journey and only had the chance to witness it through a video call from inside the prison.

"I was imprisoned in 2016 for a drug offence, and this is my second time in here... This time, I am truly remorseful and vow not to repeat the same mistakes," he said when interviewed at the Penang Remand Prison here recently.

Amy is among 11 prisoners who were released through the PBSL programme under the Ihsan Madani initiative and he was welcomed by his younger sibling before returning to their family home in Permatang Pauh.

The third among five siblings who was supposed to be released on Jan 9 next year expressed his desire to start a new life and plans to get married to his 31-year-old fiancée after Hari Raya Aidilfitri.

He also wants to help his father, who is currently struggling due to a stroke, besides resuming his former job as a landscape worker in Batu Kawan.

"I feel extremely fortunate to be released earlier, and I am grateful that my family and fiancée still accept me despite my many blunders," he said.

Meanwhile, Deputy Director of the Penang Prison, Awang Azizzan Hasbi, said that 11 prisoners were released in today's programme, with five of them handed over to their families, five to employers, and one sent to a halfway house in Seberang Perai Selatan (SPS).

According to him, from January to December, a total of 149 prisoners have been released through the Ihsan Madani PBSL, involving 14 companies as employers.

He hoped that the early release provided would be fully utilised by the prisoners concerned to reintegrate into society and transform into better individuals. - BERNAMA