Jailing illegals will strain prison

V.K. Chin, The Star, Asia News Network, Selangor

In the coming weeks and months, more illegal immigrants are likely to be caught and will face stiff punishment provided for under the amended legislation to deal with this pressing issue. The punishment includes a fine, whipping and jail.

However, it is necessary for the government to streamline the form of sentence to be meted out, otherwise, the country will face a financial burden in handling this problem. So far, several such illegal immigrants have already been charged in court and sentenced accordingly.

It may be appropriate for the court to fix a fine on the culprits or even impose a stroke or two of the cane but when it comes to imprisonment, perhaps this policy should be reviewed in view of the financial implications.

Why jail them for months or even years when on completion of their sentences, they would be sent home anyway? Why waste more money on them by putting more pressure on the already overcrowded prisons which are bursting at the seams anyway?

Surely it is cheaper to just send them home with a whipping as this would be sufficient punishment for such lawbreakers and to warn others from trying to enter this country illegally. While Malaysia welcomes legitimate tourists and workers, it intends to deal harshly with those who come in illegally.

It therefore does not make sense for the Government to put these guilty people behind bars and feed them during the duration of their internment. It is better to use some of the money and deport them straight away.

It is also unlikely that many of the illegal immigrants will pay the fine even if they have the money to do so. Since they will be sent to jail anyway, they will most probably forget the fine and be jailed for a longer period.

The handling of such illegals is not a small matter as thousands if not tens of thousands might be caught and sentenced. This will put a tremendous strain on the physical and financial resources on the prison system.

In spite of all the adverse reports on conditions in such prisons, the treatment of prisoners is not really that bad as they get three meals a day though accommodation may be a bit cramped. Most probably, the illegal immigrants would treat the confinement as a holiday without having to worry about where the next meal is going to come from.

In addition, they will be able to get medical treatment if they should fall sick and all the other benefits being extended to the inmates. Surely, this is better than going home where the future is so uncertain.

If the present policy of jailing them is implemented, the Government will most probably need to spend tens of millions of ringgit annually to meet this new commitment and surely it is not worth the while to carry this out.

Of course, a severe jail term should be imposed on those who have committed serious crimes such as murders and armed robberies but it might not be appropriate to hand out the same punishment to those who have breached immigration rules.