The story of a ex-prisoner: A single signature cost me four years of my youth
"Once sentenced to prison, I wondered how long I would stay – 10 years, 20 years, or just a few months..."
Translate By: Tai Xin Yu
Image Editing: Fong Yen Fun
A woman's youth is considered a precious treasure. At nearly 50 years old, Mimi should have been preparing and planning for her retirement life. However, fate played a cruel joke and led her into a dark journey, casting a gloom over her life.
The peaceful life destroyed
A signature represents a person's identity and rights, and has legal effect. Once signed on any document or contract, it signifies our responsibility towards that matter. Mimi is an honest and responsible employee, who has worked as an accountant for over 10 years at a private company.
Unfortunately, there was shocking news during the company's annual audit. Mimi’s colleague had used her name to sign company documents and embezzled a large amount of money. What was even more shocking was that this had been happening over the course of several years, accumulating a substantial amount of money. Although she strongly denied involvement, her colleagues had already left the company and were unreachable, so the company had to press charges against Mimi through the police.
"I didn't commit this act, so I cannot admit to it. I have to seek a lawyer, engage in lengthy appeals and court hearings to prove my innocence."
In the following two years (2014-2016), Mimi found herself caught in an endless cycle of legal proceedings. She spared no effort or expense in her quest to rid herself of this accusation. In order to pay her lawyer, she depleted her own and family's savings and even sold her vehicle and property.
Losing Freedom and Dignity: The Experience of Detention
According to the judicial process, Mimi was arrested on May 11, 2017 and taken to the detention facility.
"May 11th was my birthday, but unfortunately, I spent my birthday in detention that year."
MiMi shared how she cherished the freedom of spending quality time with her family during the Chinese New Year period that year. She travelled with her family and indulged in delicious food. She even managed to devour an entire cake all by herself, fearing that she might not have the chance to do so once imprisoned, and did not know how long she would be locked up. Although MiMi shared her past in a calm tone, her words revealed her helplessness and disappointment at that time.
During that period, a series of unfortunate events came crashing down on her. Her strained relationship with her husband led to a breakdown in the family atmosphere. Moreover, she suffers from severe depression, which aggravates her mental burden. At the same time, she also had to face the crisis of her mother's serious illness, all of these brought great psychological pressure and anxiety to her.
After being detained, Mimi had to go through the process of being photographed and registered. She recalled that a female police officer asked her to strip naked and check her body for any prohibited items, even taking photos of her from various angles. During this process, Mimi felt deeply embarrassed and ashamed. Afterwards, she put on the orange-coloured clothing provided by the detention facility and was informed that she could only stay in the detention cell from 10 PM to 11 AM.
"There were more than 40 people crammed together in the cell and there was no water supply in the toilet. When thirsty, we can only turn on the tap and drink water directly. The detainee sitting across from me had an expression that looked like she was going to devour someone."
At that time, Mimi was physically weak and had not yet adapted to the environment of the cell, causing her to have diarrhoea and vomiting at 12 am.
During court trial, Mimi cost all her savings . (Image from Pinterest)
Facing the Arduous Journey of Accusations
The next day, while Mimi was in court for her trial, she was ordered to change into purple clothing. The purple clothing is worn by the suspects awaiting the outcome of the court trial, and did not belong to the actual prison uniform. Before changing, she had to undress again for a search by the officer. However, at that moment, she was menstruating, and her blood dripped onto the floor without any clothing to block it.
"We can't bring our own sanitary pads, we can only use sanitary pads provided by the prison. It's unwinged and has poor adhesion."
Afterwards, Mimi was assigned to a cell packed with 33 people. They could hardly lie down to rest and had to sit against the walls to sleep. The toilets in the prison have no doors and people have to relieve themselves in public areas. As she could not bear to go to the toilet in front of everyone, she had to force herself to do so.
Mimi faced charge of embezzlement, which violated Section 408 of the Criminal Code of Malaysia. Under the terms, if found guilty, she would face imprisonment for not less than one year but not exceeding fourteen years, along with possible caning and fines. During this period, she was constantly appearing in court and participating in trials, the whole process was exhausting for her, and the high legal fees were difficult for her to digest, and various factors pushed her to accept any decision in the criminal case.
" I directly told my lawyer that I wanted to plead guilty and go to prison early so that this could be over as soon as possible, and that I was done wasting my time with futile struggles."
The court deliberated and sentenced Mimi to six years in prison. Upon hearing the final verdict, Mimi's psychological defence collapsed completely, and then fainted in the courtroom, and the deeds of the court barely left an impression on her memory.
Life in prison
In September 2017, after Mimi pleaded guilty, his purple clothing was changed to a red prison uniform. That is the uniform worn by prisoners who have been in prison for more than six months and they need to wear it for the first three months.
"I just went from red to green, and from green to blue. I remember how happy I was when I put on my blue uniform because each change of uniform represented that my release day was getting closer."
The colour of the prisoner's uniform was not based on personal preference, but according to the length of the imprisonment and the judgement of the police officer's interview. During a conversation with an interviewing officer, Mimi learned that the six-year sentence could actually be completed in four years if holidays and weekends were deducted. However, for Mimi, every day in prison was painful.
"I'm a vegetarian. For the first few months, I didn't eat meat. But after nine months, I gradually started accepting it, considering the long duration I still had to stay in prison."
In prison, the prisoners' life and meals are severely restricted. Chicken was only served three days a week, which became a highly anticipated moment for the prisoners.
In addition, Mimi also shared her unforgettable experience of being locked in a dark room (punishment cell). In the overcrowded cell, someone hid a pill in Mimi's food container. Possession of medicine in prison is such a serious violation that if no one admits it, the entire cell will be punished. In the face of this dilemma, Mimi ultimately took the blame upon herself and ended up being locked in the dark room for a daunting 14 days.
"In the dark room, I once saw a black shadow trying to talk with me, with only its upper body. There was also a dark room labelled 'Room 9', where a pregnant woman had a miscarriage and died, so some people could hear the sound of a baby crying from inside."
The dark room experience made her feel very lonely and scared, because she often saw some strange phenomena in the dark room. During her imprisonment, her meals became even more meager, and she had to rely on bread to survive. The monotonous food left her physically and mentally exhausted, intensifying her sense of despair and helplessness.
In prison, the prison will arrange various skills courses to help prisoners have some skills to make a living after they are released from prison. Mimi was assigned to beauty course, which covered things like haircuts and massages.
"As I was not familiar with the Malay language, I struggled to comprehend the course content, and to my surprise, there was even an exam." Fortunately, as time went on, she gradually mastered the technique and slowly became proficient. The course lasted for a year and a half, and Mimi successfully received the relevant diploma in the end.
The experiences and time spent in prison are something that can never be forgotten throughout one's lifetime. (Image from Pinterest)
Regaining Freedom
The days before Mimi was released from prison, she felt so happy that she could hardly even sleep. Her fellow inmates even threw a farewell party for her.
"We learned to make handmade cakes inside, which can be done using cookies and milk. That's the kind of cake they made for me." Since the inmates in the neighbouring room couldn't directly participate in the farewell party, they secretly passed food to her as a gesture of blessings.
In May 2021, Mimi was finally released from prison, ending a long period of imprisonment. However, her imprisonment had a serious impact on her physical and mental health. The symptoms of depression became worse and her memory deteriorated, causing her great pain and distress.
In addition to her psychological problems, prison life has also taken a negative effect on her physical health. She noticed that her gastrointestinal problems were getting worse, exacerbating his indigestion and discomfort. "Eating time in prison is usually limited, so I often choke on my food because I swallow it quickly, so now I have to eat slowly."
After being released from prison, Mimi had run a beauty salon with other friends, but later she found out that the partners had done some improper behaviour. This made Mimi shocked and disappointed. Out of her own safety to avoid contact with the law, she decided to give up the idea of running a beauty salon with a partner. "If I wanted to run a beauty-related business, I would do it myself, because I don't trust anyone anymore."
Nowadays, Mimi works for a commercial conglomerate, and almost everyone around her is unaware of her imprisonment. She never revealed her tragic experience easily and chose to remain silent. Mimi sincerely practises Buddhism, hoping to find tranquillity and inner peace through spiritual cultivation, allowing herself to let go of the past.
Mimi reminds us that it is necessary to be defensive, but we must not lose our human kindness. Above all, we need to maintain a balance between trust and vigilance. Everyone should be aware of their responsibilities and obligations, adhering by laws and moral norms to promote the development and progress of society.
Mimi's previous experience hasn't made her give up on herself. On the contrary, she learned to protect and love herself.