Equal opportunity is one of the core values of YouTurn, an advocacy campaign to promote giving ex-prisoners a second chance. Being left behind is never a good experience. Remember when you lost your parents or family in a crowded place? Or when you were not selected for a group activity amongst your classmates? Or when you were not invited for a road trip with your friends? Being left behind can be traumatic. 

The experience of being incarcerated is not a pleasant one, especially in our beloved country, Malaysia. Not only does one have to endure the unpleasant life behind bars but also the below average standard of food, overcrowding, lack of personal hygiene materials due to a limited budget, and also missing their loved ones at home.

Malaysian CARE and the Catholic Prison Fellowship Association jointly held a Christmas Celebration at Penjara Wanita Kajang for their inmates on 15th December 2022.

The Dewan Rakyat has unanimously passed a bill to abolish the mandatory death penalty through a voice vote. The bill also gives judges the option to impose jail terms of up to 40 years in place of the mandatory death penalty. Ten MPs had taken part in the debate on the bill.

The Ihsan Madani Prisoners' Release on Licence (OBB) programme by the Prisons Department has been lauded by NGOs as a timely move.

The country is lacking halfway houses to accommodate paroled female prisoners and former female inmates who are looking for a job so that they can be reintegrated into society, Prison Department deputy director-general Datuk Ibrisam Abdul Rahman reportedly said.

The prisons department is in dire need of transit houses for female former inmates as all 15 transit houses nationwide only accommodate male residents.

The Prison Department requires more transit houses specifically to house female ex-convicts as they reintegrate into society, it Deputy Commissioner General (community) Datuk Ibrisam Abdul Rahman said today.

The support of family, friends and a community can be a catalyst when it comes to reducing cases of recidivism and helping former offenders transition back to society, say experts and social activists.

There is a need for halfway houses to be set up to accommodate paroled female prisoners and former female inmates who are looking for a job in order to help them reintegrate into society. 

The push towards reducing overcrowding should not slow down during the endemic phase of Covid-19 

Spearheaded by the NGO Malaysian Care, the YouTurn project aims to give chances and equal opportunities to prisoners and ex-prisoners, a group that's often marginalized. The project hopes to make an impact and inspire people from all levels of society to change their views, perspectives, and actions toward this group. We find out more about this group's mission and goals from Sam Lim, the Manager of the Community Development Department at Malaysian Care, and also Samuel* and Ashraf*, two former inmates who are now volunteers with the YouTurn Project. 

The rougher it is, the tougher you will become! This was and would be my motto forever. Despite my plan of getting a proper education and becoming successful, my life turned into a nightmare when I was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for an offense, I had committed at the age of 17.  I was out on bail at the time so I could sit for my SPM and continue life as usual. 

He was a top student. Upon completing secondary school, he was received by an institute of higher learning to embark on foundation in law. His parents, a fisherman and a food stall vendor from a small coastal village in Malaysia, were proud of and had high hopes for their bright son. With the good grades he consistently churned out, his future seemed sealed.