Sharjah: Prisoners in Sharjah jail will be econouraged to read books as part of their rehabilitation programme.

The plan was discussed during a visit of officials from Knowledge Without Borders (KWB) — a Sharjah-based cultural project — to the Department of Punitive and Reformatory Establishments Sharjah (DPRES), commonly known as Sharjah Central Jail.

The agenda of the meeting was the effective rehabilitation of criminals through the habit of reading, with the aim being to successfully reintroduce them into society as model citizens.

Headed by Rashid Al Kous, general manager of KWB, the project’s representatives met Colonel Khalifa Al Merri, director of DPRES at Sharjah Police, and Colonel Ahmad Abdul Aziz Shuhail, deputy director of the DPRES.

The meeting was part of the plan to care for offenders and to reform inmates and rehabilitate them physically, psychologically, socially and legally. Specific to its agenda, the department’s need for books, library and workshop facilities were discussed during the meeting.

“Our visit to the Department of Punitive and Reformatory Establishments in Sharjah furthers the activities and efforts of KWB, which seek to promote a culture of reading among all members of the community and establish it as a daily habit. We consider the department’s inmates to be a part of the community and it is our duty to care for them and rehabilitate them so that they can go back into society as good citizens who are willing to contribute to its advancement,” said Al Kous.

The DPRES library comprises 500 titles in different languages, including English, Urdu, Arabic, Bengali, Russian and Tamil. Following the review of its operations, the KWB agreed to supply the library with books written by His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, which have been translated into different languages. The delegation also verified the procedures for providing the department’s kindergarten with a collection of books tailored to children aged up to two.

“During the meeting we discussed a number of issues, one of which was to determine the type of books that best meet the needs of inmates. It was agreed that these should be different from the books distributed by KWB to Emirati families in Sharjah, since the majority of inmates are of foreign and non-Arab nationalities. We also talked about the design of the department’s libraries and decided that they should align with the six halls in the new building, which will be inaugurated by His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah in the next few years,” he added.

“In line with 2016 being declared the Year of Reading and the directives of the Sharjah Ruler to promote a culture of reading, we are keen to be a part of this unique project which aims to reform and rehabilitate inmates and integrate them into society as law-abiding individuals. Establishing a library in the department which meets modern standards will spread forgiveness, encourage communication and provide spiritual and intellectual nourishment for our inmates,” said Al Merri.