Kuala lumpur: The government is set to implement the SPENT mechanism under amendments to the Registration of Criminals and Undesirable Persons Act 1969, as announced in the Dewan Rakyat today. Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail highlighted that this initiative aims to offer former convicts a second chance by adopting international best practices.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the SPENT mechanism will facilitate exemptions for certain criminal records once individuals have completed a crime-free period. These exemptions will be contingent upon prescribed conditions and the nature of the committed offence. Saifuddin noted that the mechanism draws on benchmarks from countries like the United Kingdom, Singapore, Brunei, and Australia.
He elaborated that individuals who have been convicted, exhausted their appeal process, and completed all legal proceedings will have their names entered into a register. Following the completion of their sentence or payment of fines, and if they do not reoffend within a reasonable period, they may be considered as having no criminal record. However, this does not apply to serious offences.
The proposed amendments to the Act received Cabinet approval on May 21 of last year and are currently under review by the Attorney General's Chambers. Saifuddin plans to table the proposal during this year's Parliamentary sitting. Addressing a supplementary question about societal stigma, he stressed the importance of a collective commitment from employers and the community to support former convicts.
The government has been actively supporting rehabilitation through various programmes, skills training, and job placement initiatives run by the Malaysian Prison Department. Since 1969, 2.6 million individuals have been recorded under Act 7, with nearly half involving drug offences. The department has introduced community-based rehabilitation programmes, allowing inmates involved in minor offences to serve part of their sentence outside prison.
Saifuddin shared that accommodations, employment opportunities, and TVET training are provided, with six external centres currently operating, including one in Pantai Merdeka. He highlighted the success of these initiatives, noting that for every 800 individuals released, only one returns to prison, even before the Act's amendment.