An ‘Insight’ Look at the Kajang Prison
By admin | October 9th, 2008 | Category: Law Students Essays, Legal Aid |
by Nur Farzana Mohd Zulkifli
When Ben Franklin said, ”It is better to know than to wonder”, he probably didn’t know how powerful those words are, or many people they would touch. before law school or the Community Outreach programme and Clinical Legal Education course in University of Malaya I never would have envisioned a prison (at least not much) , let alone be able to talk about one from an INSIDE perspective.
Movies or books often dictate a pre-conceived set of emotions to feel ‘if and when’ you’re entering one, like fear and sympathy. Some say we should feel appalled after such an experience. What I felt after my first visit and those after that were different. There was empathy and humility, but most of all, gratitude and empowerment.
To clarify things a bit, what I saw in all my visits include physical infrastructures, like buildings that looked like hostel dorms, huge impenetrable-looking gates and barbwire, but also the human side of the prisons - among other things, fierce-looking wardens, extremely disciplined detainees. Note that I use the term detainees here instead of prisoners or convicts because I had only visited the juvenile-detention-center part of Kajang Prison, known as Sekolah Integrity Kajang or Kajang Integrity School. How is this different from a real prison? Well, for one the detainees there were found guilty for crimes while they were juveniles in age, while others were juveniles remanded or awaiting trial, mostly too poor to afford bail to be set free in the process; and their living quarters are separated from adult convicts in the prison, as the law demands so.
I was involved (and still am) in the Community Outreach Programme ( and later the Clinical Legal Education course) and our access into the Kajang Integrity School was allowed as we were there to teach these detainees about the laws, unorthodoxly using interactive teaching methods and laymen terms. Among the things I remember very clearly was what or CLE Advisor Assoc. Prof Hjh Norbani Mohamed Nazeri said to us the first time we arrived to teach,”…it’s not about you, its about them”. She was right. We were there to teach and we taught them law, but in the end, the teachers became the students.
We had learned so many things from our learners in that first visit and in the later ones. They had shown us too many things about the field we were studying as law students- court procedure, substantive law,( mostly what could be found in the Penal Code ) , and the shortcomings of the justice system. Sure we all knew how ‘fast’ things work in courts from the media and so many other sources, but I suppose none of us would have really understood how much that truth affected real people, their lives and their families. Add that with the punitive tendencies of the criminal justice and adversarial frame, and you get what is known as our legal system.
We were shown how layman who don’t understand terms like stare decisis or actus reus and mens rea, but could demonstrate a mock trial setting almost accurately, despite having many comrades who barely knew how to read or write properly. THIS brought out our empathy and our humility. We were then grateful with the opportunities we have been accustomed to our whole lives. The access to a good education, comfortable homes, secured financial status in our families and a shot at a successful future.
These are rare gems in the life stories of those we met. And we could change all that- as possible practitioners, educators, policy makers and enforcement members in executing whatever our future roles are in the society. If we could teach them and everyone else the substance of the laws, but also its purpose and aims, we have a shot at keeping people from breaking the law, keeping young people with so much ahead of them OUT of prisons or detention centers, then maybe, just maybe-we could work to achieve a tomorrow that everyone would want to be in.
Hmm, great piece of work Farz. It is interesting to know what you’ve done inside Kajang Integrity School - what you teach, how you teach and what you’ve learnt from the experience. However, I am not sure how much of an ‘insight’ view I could get from what I’ve read here. Perhaps you could write a little bit more about the detainees. Maybe you could share with us your experience and encounter with them, what problems they face and whether anyone knows about their problem, whether anyone can help them and is doing anything to help. Liked the way you show your passion for the detainees though. Keep up the good work. Hope to see another write-up from you.
Yes, I totally agree with what Faz wrote. Teaching law in its social context is what I think law and justice is really about as many people are quite ignorant with the law and their surroundings. I understand because I have also experience the 2-way teaching and learning of CLE. I personally think this is good as rehabilitation process is crucial for juveniles, and apparently, many of them in the School previously do not have much opportunity for education. Many of them are just in there because of their one-time mistake. It is good that education is given to them, this is also a way that they are given a second chance and to ensure they go back out a better person. what I hope is the SOCIETY will give them a second chance too, not to label them as criminals or else in the end, they might just probably turn back to their wrongdoings in desperation. A very good job, Faz! Hope to see you write again soon.
I enjoy reading your article, Faz! Hopefully through our little moves, might turn them into a better person and not repeat the same mistake! they deserve a second chance although on the other hand we need to balance up with the crime they did. For those who were convicted, they deserve what they did. However, most of them were there waiting for their case to be heard, and some waited a considerable long period. Besides, i remember one boy told me that he will be sent to other prison because he is attaining 21 soon! But, they have not consider how different is it , being in an adult and juvenile prison. I think the judicial process should be more efficient when dealing with this. The feeling is totally vast when you are at that place, and when you leave that place! Being behind the bars is not something that a normal child can go through. It is different and it might defeit the purpose of rehabilitation!
Hi elawyer,
I need your fovour, someone question me in my blog,
“adakah Menteri Besar mempunyai kuasa untuk memilih dan melantik Penasihat Undang-undang Negeri yang baru selepas mengambilalih kuasa pentadbiran negeri?”
Mr elawyer, if you dont mind, pls visit :
http://kerajaanrakyat.com/?p=1886#comment-5254
to help me to answer to question.
Thanks bro..!!
Sorry it should read
to help me to answer the question.
Tq.
Farz, memories flash in my mind when I am reading your article. There is one saying I would like to share here: ‘If you’re planning for a year, plant a garden; if you’re planning for a decade, plant trees; if you’re planning for a lifetime, educate a child’. We should bear in minds that juveniles are part of the society as well. Therefore, everyone in the community should have the obligation to help the juveniles to be a better person and readmit to the society.