Facts About Tapah Prison
When prisons are mentioned, everyone is well aware that they are places specifically designed to house inmates who have been convicted of criminal offenses. For the information of our loyal readers at orangperak.com, there are 36 prisons across Malaysia.
According to statistics from the Prison Department on February 22, 2016, there were 49,888 inmates detained or serving sentences in prisons nationwide. Of that total, 33,399 (66.95%) were Malaysian citizens, while 16,489 (33.05%) were foreign nationals. By gender, 46,513 inmates (93.23%) were male, while the remaining 3,375 (6.77%) were female. There are two prisons in the state of Perak, which are
Taiping Prison
and Tapah Prison. Previously, an article was published regarding
Taiping Prison
which is
the first prison complex in Malaysia
. If you have not read that article, you can
click on this link
to read the article titled
Taiping Prison, The First Prison Complex In Malaysia
.
This time, we will focus on Tapah Prison. Tapah Prison is located at Lot 11233, Mukim Batang Padang, Batang Padang District, Perak Darul Ridzuan. It is situated 12 km from Tapah Town and 67 km from Ipoh City. The prison was built on July 1, 2000, and completed on June 30, 2003, with a contract value of RM191,379,850.11. On December 13, 2003, Tapah Prison was gazetted through the Federal Government Gazette No. 4 Vol. 47.P.U( B ) 79. Operations at Tapah Prison began on April 1, 2004.
The total area of Tapah Prison is 81.75 hectares. Of that, 21.88 hectares are developed as the prison area, while 14.28 hectares are used for staff housing. The remaining 45.6 hectares are used for agricultural purposes and oil palm plantations. In addition to its vast area, Tapah Prison is equipped with an Integrated Electronic Security System (SKEB) and utilizes the latest technology, as well as accommodation and recreational facilities that keep pace with current technological developments for both inmates and staff.
Tapah Prison has a comfortable capacity to house up to 2,062 inmates. Tapah Prison is modeled after Sungai Buloh Prison, serving as a "Reman and Convicted Prison." Initially, Tapah Prison housed inmates transferred from nearby prisons. Currently, the prison receives inmates sentenced by courts in the southern part of Perak specifically, and from across the state of Perak generally. Tapah Prison is administered by a Prison Director with the rank of Senior Assistant Commissioner of Prisons. On May 17, 2006, corresponding to 19 Rabiul Akhir 1427 Hijrah, His Royal Highness the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah Ibni Al Marhum Sultan Yussuf Izzuddin Shah Ghafarullahu-Lah, and Her Royal Highness the Raja Permaisuri of Perak, Tuanku Bainun, graciously officiated the opening of Tapah Prison, Perak.
