He hoped the new facility, which would be able to accommodate 1,000 inmates, would help reduce overcrowding at the Tawau and Kota Kinabalu prisons.

Saifuddin said the prison would start with a one-month trial involving 100 prisoners and it would later be expanded to 450 inmates, before running at full capacity in January next year.

“This additional 1,000 capacity will help the prisons department to address overcrowding issues, which can lead to problems like transmission of infectious diseases and unconducive conditions that distress inmates and result in suicide, escape attempts or fights,” he said.

Earlier, he and works minister Alexander Nanta Linggi witnessed the handover of the project from the works ministry to the home ministry.

Saifuddin said the prisons department had also implemented release on parole and compulsory attendance orders to reduce prison overcrowding.

He added that the prisons department was also in the process of implementing the release on licence initiative which involved home detentions.

Meanwhile, Nanta said the construction of the Lahad Datu prison, which began in 2017, was completed at a cost of RM176 million, under the RM200 million approved in the 11th Malaysia Plan.