The cabinet has approved the Compulsory Attendance Order (CAO) to be extended to detainees serving sentences of up to three years in a bid to overcome prison overcrowding.

Previously only for detainees serving less than one year, the CAO is an alternative to imprisonment. It allows those convicted of certain offences to serve their sentences by doing "compulsory work" without compromising their daily lives.

Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin said the government also agreed to...