Commissioner of Prisons Ahmad Mohamed Fulhu has stated 68 individuals were imprisoned last month alone, with most of them imprisoned for drug-related offences.
Speaking at a programme aired on PSM News, the prisons commissioner stated the number of criminals imprisoned is much higher than those released. The commissioner also stated out of the 68 people who were imprisoned last month, 52 individuals had been convicted by court while the remaining 16 were ordered to be kept in remand until the end of their trials. He added while most of the convicted prisoners were imprisoned for drug-related offences, some were convicted of theft, violence and possession of sharp objects as weapons.
The prisons commissioner further stated Maldives Correctional Service (MCS) is conducting discussions with the parole board to make faster and easier arrangements for inmates eligible for parole. Noting inmates who are serving sentences for crimes which are not classified as major crimes would be eligible for parole once they complete 25% of their sentence, the commissioner revealed 270 inmates applied for parole within the last six months. However, he said only 156 of them are eligible under the Parole Act, although the application of some eligible inmates are also rejected due to reasons such as not being accepted by their families.
The commissioner revealed there are 36 inmates who have currently been released under parole. According to the commissioner, they are obliged to fulfill certain conditions set by the parole board in the first year of release, such as providing urine samples to the parole office, attending certain sessions and reporting to the parole officer.