Vice President Faisal Naseem has stated that every inmate in the custody of Maldives Correctional Service (MCS) should be offered the opportunity to rehabilitate and reintegrate into society. He made the remarks while speaking at the ceremony to mark the closing of the first drug rehabilitation programme and a certificate course in electrical wiring for inmates of Maafushi Prison.
Speaking at the ceremony, Vice President Naseem said the prison system and society should view inmates as people who could better themselves and become productive citizens. The vice president spoke against discrimination faced by inmates and called on the community to treat them with respect and integrity and to offer them the opportunity to reintegrate into society as successful members of their families.
Additionally, Vice President Naseem congratulated the inmates who completed the rehabilitation programme and certificate course and called on them to strive hard to avoid recidivism. He also spoke about the administration-led initiatives to combat drug offences.
Also at the ceremony, Minister of Home Affairs Imran Abdulla said that many families in the country are having to face the consequences of drug addiction and that citizens have to work together to overcome this societal problem.
MCS launched the drug rehabilitation programme in February 2022 to provide detoxification and substance abuse treatment, training, and vocational education to drug offenders. Vice President Naseem presented certificates to the 32 inmates who completed the programme. Minister of Health Ahmed Naseem and Commissioner of Prisons Ahmed Mohamed Fulhu attended the ceremony.