KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia’s Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat has called on judges to consider overcrowded jails when sentencing offenders who violated the country’s movement-control order (MCO).

In a letter issued on Sunday (April 5), the office of the chief registrar of the Federal Court informed all judicial officers to weigh the punishment being meted out with the risk of spreading Covid-19 infections because of overcrowded prisons.

The directive followed concerns raised by the Prisons Department that jails may be a source of new Covid-19 outbreaks because of overcrowding.

“Aside from considering punishments provided by existing laws, the risks of further Covid-19 infections in prisons should be taken into consideration when sentencing offenders for violating the movement-control order,” the office said.

On Saturday, Malaysia’s director-general of prisons Zulkifli Omar sent a letter to Federal Court chief registrar Ahmad Terrirudin Mohd Salleh outlining his concerns about overcrowding and asking judges to sentence offenders to community service instead.

Mr Zulkifli said as of April 1, 378 people had been given custodial sentences for breaching the MCO.

“Apart from adding on to the already crowded prisons, the Prisons Department is concerned that they could become the source of Covid-19 outbreaks in prison as their health status are not known,” he said, adding that the potential for the spread of the virus threatened the lives of inmates and staff. THE MALAYSIAN INSIGHT