Maldives Correctional Service has today announced the rehabilitative programmes for inmates scheduled to commence on 17th February 2016.
These programmes are mandated by the 2013/14 the Prison and Parole Act for rehabilitation and awareness of inmates for successful reintegration into the community by avoiding crime and proving beneficial for the family. The programmes will include reintegration programmes and life skills programmes and will go on for four months.
According to the Programmes Department of MCS, the main purpose of these programmes is to instil good behaviour, develop beneficial skills and endeavour to change the thinking and views of inmates as well as support them in living out their lives in good behaviour after their release into the community. The trainings also teach inmates how to plan for a changed and improved future.
Some of the modules taught during the trainings include communication skills, personal perception, social relationships, to change their thinking and to develop critical thinking skills, decision making skills, improve self-esteem, anger management, classes on “how our thoughts control our behaviour”, drug awareness, health awareness, domestic violence and abuse, career guidance and an additional 23 classes, states the Programmes Department.
The inmates who complete these programmes are expected to have positive and improved-thinking, better decision making skills leading to good behaviour, how to avoid choosing the criminal way or violence, communicate well, what characteristics are accepted by the society and believe the inmate is capable of developing them, work in teams and learn to get along with people as well as know the ideal way of doing the above.
These programmes are scheduled to start at Maafushi Prison and Asseyri Prison on the 17th of February 2016 with the participation of 126 inmates divided in four batches. Once the four batches finish the programmes, the Programmes Department states that additional inmates will enrolled in the programmes. The sessions will be conducted by facilitators from the Programme Department, National Drug Agency and Youth Centres.
