KUALA LUMPUR: A 31-year-old female prisoner in Sarawak gets to reunite with her two children earlier than expected after being granted permission to serve the remaining four months of her jail sentence at home.
According to a report by the Sarawak-based online news portal DayakDaily, the woman, who is 28 weeks pregnant, is the first person in the state to be granted home detention under the Licensed Release of Prisoners (PBSL).
Identified as 'Nini' in the report to protect her identity, the woman expressed gratitude to the prison authorities for granting her the opportunity to complete the remaining duration of her imprisonment sentence at home.
"This enables me to resume a semblance of normalcy in my life," she was quoted as saying in the report.
Overwhelmed with emotion during the interview, Nini stated that she would make use of the second chance in life provided by the PBSL by spending time with her two children.
She also assured that she would not repeat past mistakes and would comply with all the terms of her home detention.
Meanwhile, Sarawak Prisons Department director Teyun Thian Eim said the PBSL seeks to address specific needs of vulnerable inmates.
The initiatives, said Teyun, aimed at prisoners with chronic diseases, the elderly, persons with disabilities, and expectant mothers.
It was reported last month that the government agreed in principle to implement the PBSL, through home detention, for prisoners serving jail time of four years and below, as an effort to reduce overcrowding in prisons.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said that his ministry is currently in the process of examining the implementation method from the point of view of relevant legal provisions, to ensure whether the existing laws and regulations need to be enacted or not.