PUTRAJAYA (July 27): The Home Ministry (KDN) will continue engagement sessions with all stakeholders before retabling the proposed amendments to the Prisons Act, which are aimed at providing legal protection for prison officers acting in good faith, said its minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.

He said the proposed amendments had been misconstrued by some parties, including non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and members of Parliament, as an attempt to grant prison officers legal immunity.

"This amendment proposes that there should be an element of protection when a prison officer acts in good faith.

"We need to clarify this term further because the general perception among the public, NGOs and even members of Parliament is that this is an effort by the Prisons Department to obtain legal immunity," he told a press conference after attending the Home Ministry's monthly assembly here on Monday.

KDN had previously announced that the tabling of the Prisons (Amendment) Bill 2026 had been postponed to allow for further scrutiny by a Parliamentary Special Select Committee (PSSC).

Among the key proposals are the use of electronic monitoring devices to track the movements of selected prisoners, the establishment of prison volunteers to assist rehabilitation programmes, and legal protection for prison officers carrying out their duties in accordance with the provisions of the Act.

He stressed that the proposed amendments were not intended to grant legal immunity but rather to provide protection for prison officers performing their duties in good faith.

"Many other Acts in our country contain similar provisions. The first argument is consistency, while the second is that there is absolutely no intention to seek legal immunity for prison officers," he said.

Saifuddin Nasution said one example that prompted the proposed amendment involved a prison director who was sued after carrying out a court-ordered caning sentence on an inmate who later died.

"So in cases like this, I believe there is a need to amend the Prisons Act in this context. There are also cases where inmates died in their sleep. Medical reports confirmed there was no foul play, yet prison officers were still sued," he said.

He said prison officers would remain subject to legal action in cases involving negligence or breaches of the law, citing the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia's (Suhakam) investigation into the riot at Taiping Prison, which was followed by a police investigation and internal disciplinary action.

"A police investigation paper was opened, internal action was taken, and legal proceedings also followed. So this is proof that there has never been any intention to obtain immunity. Prison officers remain subject to legal action if negligence or violations occur," he said.

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