Minister of Home Affairs Imran Abdulla has stated that the first-ever high-security prison will be built in the Maldives to keep dangerous prisoners and those convicted over major criminal cases.
Speaking to PSM News, Minister Imran said the high-security prison will be built in accordance with the design principles of high-security prisons in other countries and that he expects the project to commence within the next six months. He also said the government has put an end to the inhumane treatment of inmates in prison and that officers who were found to have mistreated the inmates have been either penalised or dismissed from their position.
Commissioner of Prisons Ahmed Mohamed Fulhu highlighted the work done in the past few years to increase the capacity at prisons and rehabilitate prisoners. He noted that the capacity at Maafushi Prison has increased by 100 inmates and that the capacity has also increased in Male’ Prison, and Hulhumale’ Prison. He said that many prisoners have successfully integrated into society through the rehabilitation programme, clemency, and parole.
Currently, the lack of space at prisons has made it a challenge for authorities to imprison individuals convicted of major crimes, leading to dangerous convicts being mixed in with the general prison population. The government has increased the prison capacity to 250 in the past four years as part of the efforts to solve the issue of space constraints and improve prison conditions.