Commissioner of Prisons Abdulla Munaz has stated Maldives Correctional Service (MCS) is continuously working to better the conditions of prisons since the administration assumed power.
At a news conference held to brief media on the recent discord in Maafushi Prison, Commissioner Munaz detailed the efforts of the administration to improve prison standards. Munaz said one area of improvement is the arrangement made for inmates to get medical appointments. He said Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) now reserves one appointment from all super specialists for inmates to ease the appointment process. Hence, medical assessments of all prisoners are done immediately after they are moved to prisons.
Commissioner Munaz said prison officers now do not believe in the idea of retaining prisoners by force, but rather embrace the ideology of returning the prisoners as useful members of the society. Hence, officers are currently being trained in areas of rehabilitation.
Moreover, MCS now issues a letter with the signature of inmates upon receiving letters from others in its efforts to attend to public complaint that inmates do not receive letters sent to them. Lawyers and family can now meet inmates easier and prisoners can now eat meals prescribed by doctors if family bears the cost of such meals, in case the prison meal plans do not include food prescribed by doctors.
MCS now also has a welfare officer and a medical officer for every 100 inmates. Welfare officers will ensure inmates get their clothing and phone calls, while they will check to see why calls from inmates are unattended.