Kota Kinabalu: More than 8,000 former prisoners in Sabah are now being monitored through the Retrack application, developed by Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) in collaboration with the Sabah Institute for Development Studies (IDS).
Retrack, which has been in development for the past four years, is now officially used this year to assist the Prisons Department in Sabah in monitoring former prisoners who have returned to the community.
Sabah IDS Chief Executive Officer Datuk Dr Ramzah Dambul said the purpose of developing this application was to increase effectiveness not only while prisoners are in prison but also when they are reintegrated into society.
He added that the application also makes it easier for prison officers or staff who previously conducted monitoring manually, but now can do so more quickly and efficiently, without requiring a large workforce.
“This application is also web-based, uploaded to smartphones not only for prison officers but also for former prisoners who are now in the industry (employment).
So far, the Retrack application can benefit more than 8,000 former prisoners throughout Sabah. In fact, it is not only used in the industry but also for monitoring released inmates who have been reintegrated into society,” he said after officiating the Retrack and symposium at the Dewan IDS here on Monday.
Also present were the Sabah and Labuan Prisons Deputy Director Abd Rauf Lang Pasih and UMS Promotion of Knowledge and Language Centre Dean, Associate Prof Dr Lai Yew Meng.
He said the Retrack application received positive feedback from the Sabah Prisons Department and there are plans to expand its use not only in the state but throughout the country.
“We are collaborating with the Prisons Department, and they are very positive about expanding its use throughout Sabah. But of course, there are many improvements to be implemented in this system, for example, we will include elements of mental health assessment as we discussed in the symposium earlier,” he said.
.jpg)
