Dubai: The high standards and comforts offered to inmates in Dubai Central Jail is making them reluctant to return to their home countries to complete their sentence, Dubai Police said. This year, the Dubai Police paid Dh4.5 million in humanitarian aid towards school fees, house rent and monthly stipend for the families of 2,821 inmates.
This is in addition to the comprehensive facilities for inmates with food, accommodation, clean beds, full medical insurance and recreational and vocational opportunities to learn craft making, which make many inmates uninterested in leaving the premises. “When we tell inmates that they can go to their home countries and serve what is remaining of their jail term, they refuse,” Brigadier Al Shamali, director of Correctional and Punitive Establishments Department, Dubai Police said.
He explained how the prison’s high standards in terms of upholding human rights and prison comforts work towards making the inmates review their actions and aspire to a better way of living after they return to society.
Aid
“The money was paid as aid [to support the inmates’ families]. We pay school fees, rent and monthly salaries for some inmates’ families after studying their cases. We have charity organisations [that support] and people donate money every year to help some inmates,” Brig Al Shamali told Gulf News.
The aid also helps pay the minor sums in certain bounced cheques and air tickets for inmates to return to their countries after serving their sentence.
“The prison has a capacity of up to 5,000 inmates and most of them are Asian. Many of them participate in activities such as craft workshops and sports,” he added.
There are even workshops for building motor and quad bikes. Already, more than four bikes have been built inside the jail.
“Inmates are welcome to learn a skill through our workshops. We even sell the inmates’ products and give five per cent of the product’s value back to them. We are in constant communication with them to know of their problems and what they want to do during their time [inside the jail],” Brig Al Shamali added.
Sale
Last year, the sale of craft items made by inmates fetched a sum of Dh1.1 million.
One of the major services provided to inmates is the medical centre. Serious medical cases are provided treatment in hospitals with no expenditure incurred by the inmate.
“We are responsible for providing medical insurance to all inmates. Some of them even required open-heart surgery and we paid the expenses,” said Brig Al Shamali.
Inmates suffering from HIV or hepatitis are quarantined.
Inmates can communicate with their families back home using Skype and the jail provides private rooms and screens for this purpose.
A library containing 5,000 books is also provided to help inmates read and learn languages if they wish.
There are even educational sessions for inmates to help them finish their studies and earn a high school degree, with plans to enable them to study and get college degrees.
“We want to help them leave jail as better individuals who will be helpful to society. What we offer here is discipline, not punishment,” said Brigadier Al Shamali.
- 5,000 prisoner capacity Dubai Central Jail
- Dh4.5 million in aid to families of 2,821 inmates
- 6,990 products made by inmates sold
- Dh1.1 million made from sales of products
- 5,000 books in different languages in the library
