Dubai inmates to communicate online with families during Ramadan

Dubai: Inmates at Dubai Central Jail can communicate with their families inside and outside the country during Ramadan through a remote visual communication service.

Brigadier Ali Al Shamali, Director of the General Department of Punitive and Correctional Institutions at Dubai Police, said the service will be from 9am until noon as part of a humanitarian initiative that enables inmates to communicate with their families amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “We launched this service last year in a way that achieves the principle of physical distancing with a full commitment to the precautionary and preventive measures put in place by the authority,” Brig Al Shamali said in statement.

Dubai Police have been keen to provide complete logistical support to the inmates so that they can communicate with their loved ones online, in cooperation with the General Department of Artificial Intelligence at Dubai Police.

An inmate’s family should first request an online visit through the Dubai Police app. He or she will then receive a text message with a link of the specific date and time for the video call.

The inmate’s family can later visit Dubai Police’s official website and connect with the inmate, who will be given necessary electronic devices to join the call.