Maldives Correctional Service (MCS) has today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with National Drug Agency (NDA) to conduct Drug Rehabilitation Programmes at prisons targeted for inmates serving a sentence for drug-related offences.
Commissioner of Prisons Ahmed Mohamed Fulhu signed the MOU on behalf of Maldives Correctional Service, while the Acting CEO Mr Mohamed Rameez signed on behalf of National Drug Agency. Minister of Health Honourable Ahmed Naseem and Minister of Home Affairs Honourable Sheikh Imran Abdulla also joined the ceremony.
NDA will be assisting MCS in conducting Drug Rehabilitation Programmes at prisons targeted for inmates serving a sentence for drug-related offences for the duration of MOU, which is a period of one year.
Under this MOU, the Drug Rehabilitation Programmes will be conducted by trained and specialised doctors, nurses, counsellors, case workers and prison officers of MCS. In addition, NDA will also assist to conduct the aftercare programme for participants following the completion of in-house or residential programmes. The MOU also encourages verifying the sustainability of the programmes through data collection, revising the programme based on the evaluation of the collected data and compilation of a procedure to monitor inmates of the programme after their released back in to the society after the completion of their sentence.
The most number of inmates currently at prisons are serving time for drug-related offences. From the number of inmates brought to prison to serve sentences in 2021, a total of 184 inmates were sentenced to prison for drug-related offences from January 2021 to October 2021. The initiation of a drug rehabilitation programme at prisons will help inmates with substance abuse issues considerably and marks a milestone in the efforts of MCS to rehabilitate and reform inmates in time for their return to the society as good citizens upon the completion of their sentences.
