The Maldives Correctional Service (MCS) has stated that there is currently no means to separate prisoners based on the severity of their crime.
At the 25th anniversary of Maafushi Prison, Commissioner of Prisons Ahmed Mohamed Fulhu highlighted the changes that the prison has undergone in recent years. He also spoke on the ongoing efforts to further develop the prison. He also noted that implementing community corrections is more important than prison sentences for some offences.
As such, Commissioner Mohamed Fulhu said a regulation on enforcing community service sentences has been formulated and published, but there is still more work to be done to implement it in practice. He also said that a community corrections framework is being developed with the assistance of the United Kingdom (UK).
Additionally, Commissioner Mohamed Fulhu said that the percentage of first-time offenders among the prison population, imprisoned for less than one year, is about 20%, but the prison infrastructure does not allow them to be kept separate from serious offenders. He said that hardened criminals spread their influence as a result, leading to many convicts returning to a life of crime after being released. He added that recidivism can be reduced by implementing punishments that do not involve a prison sentence, such as using electronic tags to monitor convicts at home or other places.
Furthermore, Commissioner Mohamed Fulhu highlighted the importance of the MCS Strategic Action Plan, which is being prepared with the assistance of United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and will be developed in February or March. He said more planned efforts will be made to achieve the set targets in light of the five-year plan.