Minister of Home Affairs Imran Abdulla has stated the current administration has done the most for prison reform. He made the remarks while speaking at the closing ceremony of the 25th Basic Training Programme conducted by the Maldives Correctional Service (MCS).
Speaking at the ceremony, Minister Imran said the administration of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih came to power with the aim of resolving the longstanding issues in the country’s prisons. The minister highlighted that many prisoners have to suffer through poor conditions such as lack of medical treatment, and that prisons needed to be completely reformed to guarantee their basic rights. As such, he said the government continues to improve and direct the administration of the prison system.
Furthermore, Minister Imran said the current administration has done more work for prison reform than any previous government, and that the work includes MCS making changes in accordance with the audit report on prisons. He further said the administration is paving the way to complete the rest of the work as it monitors the progress. He also expressed concern that many prisons currently in use were built for other purposes such as warehouses and that it is inhumane to keep people in such buildings.
Additionally, Minister Imran highlighted the lack of resources for MCS training and said the opening of the National College of Policing and Law Enforcement is a huge step towards improving training standards. He said the current number of prison officials are not enough for the 2,000 prisoners under the care of MCS and that it has led to the neglect of much needed services such as rehabilitation. He said the government is focused on building the required human resources. He also congratulated the newly trained prison officials and said they are now responsible for an important national job.