Nurul Izzah Anwar, the Permatang Pauh MP, said this data included the number of prisoners in a jail or detention centre, the crimes of those convicted, and the number of those on parole or undergoing community service.

Speaking at a regional conference on prison reforms organised by Suhakam, she said the current systems that collect prison data were confusing, inaccessible and outdated.

“Up-to-date prison data is needed to know exactly where inmates can be placed, and to ensure the ease of managing the safety of those within prison compounds,” she said.

She proposed that prisons have their own internal database, which could be shared with other similar facilities in the country. By doing so, each could monitor where prisoners were and who was managing them, making management more efficient.

“The databases would also govern and facilitate reintegration programmes. There are many NGOs willing to work with prisons on the rehabilitation of inmates but there is no system for sharing and accessing data related to the number of prisoners in each facility and what they were convicted for,” Nurul Izzah said.

There needed to be better coordination and communication among prison and detention centres to reduce overcrowding, she added.

She also urged the home ministry to expedite the formation of a working committee to oversee prison reforms in the country.