This young lad made a huge mistake and was sentenced to prison for the foreseeable future, but instead of living from day to day without purpose, he decided to get himself some academic qualifications so that he can reconnect with society if he ever gets released.
Jim (not his real name) has been serving time in Kajang Prison for the past 14 years after he was charged with murder as a teenager. Despite not knowing when he will be released, Jim still works hard to climb the ladder of education.
Source: Kanal Satu
Just days ago, the now 31-year-old Jim graduated with a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from Open University Malaysia (OUM) with an impressive CGPA of 3.26. He took part in the convocation ceremony on Sunday.
“What is important is that I don’t feel ashamed of myself. The stigma is no longer there. I accept how society might view me,” he said.
“One of the things I have learnt in these past 14 years is how to control my emotions, so I will not let other people’s views take me down.”
Source: MMO
Perhaps the most inspiring part is that Jim has no plans to stop learning. In fact, he is now eyeing on a doctorate (PhD) in the same field!
Jim was only at the tender age of 17 when he was convicted of murder. Thankfully, he has a supportive family who funded his education despite this.
“In prison, I realised that I could influence people instead of people influencing me. So, I started influencing people my age, not only about education but also about morals and religion,” he said.
“This is a major transformation for me, and I hope that I can bring my experience and share this knowledge with others.”
Jim’s inspirational story proved that the prison system actually works and allows convicts to turn over a new leaf, said Selangor and Federal Territories Prison director, Darussalam Budin. He went on to say,
“We can see that with the education he obtained, the stigma is no longer there with him. He is ready to be back in society. So, we plan to back his application for a pardon and we really hope his sentence will be lightened.”
We wish him the best of luck in getting pardoned, and hope he can successfully integrate with society upon his release.
Also read: Convict Walks Free Because Johor Police Accidentally Released Wrong Inmate
