Welfare of prisoners and their families taken note of: Official

Prisons' inmates are followed-up after their release until they secure a job opportunity to provide a suitable source of income for them and their families, a senior official has said.

Major Bakhit Abdullah al-Braidi, head of the Care and Rehabilitation Section at the Department of Penal and Correctional Institutions of the Ministry of Interior, told local Arabic daily Arrayah that the inmates are rehabilitated during their prison stay.

He was speaking on the sidelines of the participation of the Department of Penal and Correctional Institutions at the awareness exhibition organized by the General Directorate for Drug Control at Place Vendome Mall on the occasion of the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

The official explained that the participation of the penal and correctional institutions in the exhibition aims to showcase the work of inmates, introduce the role of care and rehabilitation programmes in penal and correctional institutions, and encourage society to support this group after their release, particularly in overcoming societal rejection during the initial period of their release.

He pointed out that the products displayed at the exhibition were designed by the inmates who have participated in a range of specialised rehabilitation and correctional programmes, including handicrafts and other programmes such as academic education on all levels up to the university.

Major al-Braidi said that the care given to the inmates extends to their families outside the prison, addressing their needs, and some of the obstacles they face due to the sole breadwinner being in the penal institutions. This significantly contributes to maintain the psychological wellbeing of the inmate during their sentence and help maintain family unity.

The official further pointed out the department has recently launched a programme titled "Well-aware generation", which aims to raise the awareness of youngsters at all the schools of the country, in particular the teenagers.

He noted that sports clubs and youth centres have also been added to the programme to raise awareness among this group on the dangers of committing crimes or engaging in certain actions that might be seen by the younger generation as not violating the law.