Lawyers have decried a court ruling that saw a youth go from having to serve one year in prison to now serving three years in a reform school.

Muhammad Amirul Azwan Mohd Shakri, 19, had already served four months in prison for insulting Johor Crown Prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim.

However, when his family filed an appeal to reduce the punishment, the High Court judge substituted the jail sentence and sent Amirul to the Henry Gurney School in Telok Mas, Malacca, until he is 21 years of age.