“The two-year training programme qualifies prisoners to enter the local labour market by learning practical, professional and individual skills and avail the job opportunities as per the professions they specialised in,” said Colonel Mohammed Yousouf Al Zaabi, Director of the Punitive and Correctional Institutions at the Abu Dhabi Police. Report by Khaleej Times.

He said: “The professional productive workshops include carpentry, painting, cement blocks production, tailoring, automobile mechanics and heritage products training programme, which is conducted in conjunction with Culture and Heritage Authority.”

He said the Abu Dhabi Police took efforts in cooperation with HCT to qualify inmates by using latest educational methods in a way that ensures their social and human rights and helps to go back to practice their day-to-day life after their jail term.

“The programme has been approved after conducting several studies which revealed that there were no scientific, psychological and social programmes that qualify the inmates after ending their jail term to enter the labor market,” Captain Sultan Mohammed Al Niadi, Head of Qualification Section at the department explained.

He said: “This has prompted the Abu Dhabi Police to plan training and qualifying programmes for Emirati inmates, which enable them to obtain academic and vocational certificates that help them get good job opportunities after being released, and return to normal life to be able to serve his family and the society.

Injaz Programme qualifies inmates to enter the labour market after the end of their jail term, as well as helping them to integrate in the society, Captain Niadi said.  He outlined the conditions for admission to the programme, saying that the inmate should be medically fit and should pass the aptitude test. Selected inmates will undergo personal interviews, which will be conducted by a committee from HCT.  After completing the programme, the inmate can complete his studies as per the conditions set by the HCT.  He will also be issued a conduct certificate to get a job in government or private sector. He said one of the graduates is now working in a media institution and another graduate is now a manager in a petrol pump.

Maj. Gen. Ali Al-Harithy, director general of prisons in Saudi Arabia, said that a plan was under way to introduce alternatives to imprisonment, including parole and posting bail. The Interior Ministry would soon make public the rules and regulations of the new system, he added. “The move is not aimed at reducing the pressure in Saudi jails,” Al-Harithy said in comments published in an Arabic daily. “Our objective is much nobler and greater than that. We want to put in jail only those who deserve it.”

Justice Minister Abdullah Al-Asheikh also spoke about alternative punishments recently. “We have already distributed questionnaires among judges to elicit their opinions and proposals on alternative punishments. Many judges favor the idea saying it would contribute to reforming the accused,” the minister said.

There are 104 prisons and 12 reformatories across the Kingdom, the Arabic daily said, adding that about 32,000 of 44,600 inmates in Saudi jails are foreigners. Nearly 4,000 youngsters aged between 12 and 18 are living in reformatories …

The prisons chief said the bylaw of the new system is being prepared carefully with the participation of different agencies in the light of the best practices in developed countries. The alternatives include releasing suspects on bail.  As punishment, suspects may be asked to do social services, such as cleaning mosques and schools or taking part in activities of charitable organizations or serving patients in addition to other activities that are beneficial to society.

Al-Harithy narrated the benefits of these alternative punishments. “Jail terms have become a burden for the prisoner as well as his family. We have seen some prisoners returning to jail after being released. This forced us to study alternatives to imprisonment in the light of the experiences of developed countries.”  Al-Harithy said about half of the prisoners in Britain spend their term outside prison. “Some countries have adopted very good alternative punishments. We have studied all these best practices to implement a better system,” he added.

Judges can now impose community service orders on offenders sentenced to three months or less in jail, or instead of fines.  They will work for BD5 an hour – but will not get the money. It will go to pay off fines, or financial penalties calculated in lieu of jail time. For example, the judge may rule that one month in jail would be equivalent to a BD1,000 fine, which the offender would have to work 200 hours to pay off.

Justice and Islamic Affairs Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ali Al Khalifa has already issued a ministerial decree, listing the places and services offenders could be assigned to. The community service orders will be carried out in co-ordination with the Social Development, Municipalities and Agriculture Affairs and Labour ministries, he told the Shura Council yesterday.Offenders will be expected to help teach skills such as carpentry to the handicapped or elderly, as well as doing menial tasks such as public maintenance, gardening and cleaning.