Commissioner of Prisons Ahmed Mohamed Fulhu has said that over USD1,200 was spent every month on each inmate in 2022. He made the statement while speaking at the graduation ceremony of the officers that took part in the 9th Custodial Management and Security Programme conducted by the Maldives Correctional Service (MCS)
Speaking at the ceremony, Commissioner Ahmed highlighted the efforts made so far to improve the conditions of prisons and the regulation of inmates. He also noted the high cost of reintegrating each inmate into society. As such, he said MCS spent an average of USD1,297 on individual inmates each month last year.
Additionally, Commissioner Ahmed said that the expenditure of the state budget on prisoners is increasing year by year and efforts should be made by the prison officers to bring about positive change in the society. He also noted that important efforts are currently being made to implement the provisions of the Parole Act.
The government conducted an audit for the first time to improve the condition of prisons. The government stated that a lot of work has been done over the past five years to improve the findings of the audit. The government also made efforts to develop the human resources department and infrastructure needed for prisons.
MCS is also preparing to start using body-worn cameras under a free trial agreement during its operations as part of the efforts to increase responsibility and accountability. As such, MCS will begin using 50 body-worn cameras to maintain the prisons on a permanent basis this year. The use of body-worn cameras is also expected to assist in the investigations into incidents that occur inside the prisons by keeping video and audio records available to investigators and to safeguard prison officers.