“The Commissioner-General must hold discussions with non-governmental organisations and the Bar Council to make our prison system on par with other countries like Australia and the United Kingdom,” he said.
The Commissioner-General is appointed by the Yang di- Pertuan Agong and his duties are outlined in the Prison Act.
Baljit said for a start the government must review outdated laws and regulations.
Baljit, who is a member of the Bar Council criminal law committee, said this in response to the recent case of a convict who sodomised his cellmate.
The convict, already serving time for car theft, and with only two weeks left of his jailterm, was sentenced to nine years in jail and three strokes of the rotan for sodomising the cellmate.
Ariff Amirrul Akmal Abu Bakar Lam, 21, was sentenced yesterday at the Ayer Keroh Sessions Court.
Judge Ahmad Sazali Omar said the accused should have conducted himself well but regretablly this incident took place.
Amirrul from Ampang, Selangor, committed the offence on a 19-year-old convict at the Jasin Correctional Centre, on Jan 11.
Baljit said there were many “horror stories” that lawyers heard during their prison visits to meet clients, including sexual crimes.
He said the department had a duty to ensure that convicts were not harmed by prison staff, by other detainees or they did not harm themselves, adding that this included ensuring detainees were healthy and given proper medical care.
Baljit said the sodomy victim could file a legal suit for negligence against the government as the incident took place in a locality under their control.
Meanwhile, lawyer M Visvanathan who echoed Baljit’s views, said the department, like the police, must be held accountable for allowing an inmate to be sexually assaulted by another in their premises.
“Otherwise why employ staff to be on duty around the clock and install close circuit television cameras to monitor the movements of prisoners,” he added.
He said prison officers and wardens should also attend human rights awareness programmes to ensure they realised that prisoners too, must be treated with dignity.
“Such courses will go a long way to reduce deaths in custody and also avert payment of damages arising out of lawsuits,” he added.