News Desk
Maldivian prisons will be fully transformed into international-standard rehabilitation centres over the next five years, Minister of Homeland Security and Technology Ali Ihusaan said on PSM’s “Ahaa” public forum.
Responding to a question from the audience, Ihusaan said the current administration inherited a severe lack of capacity across state prisons. Officials have added nearly 400 spaces so far, with another 100 spaces set to open before the end of the month.
“Expanding space is not about locking up citizens,” Ihusaan said. “It is about ensuring we have room to rehabilitate inmates and reintegrate them into society.”
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Ihusaan noted that while many cells previously lacked basic electricity and proper ventilation, power has now been restored to every cell, with air conditioning units installed in select cells. He added that under President Dr Mohamed Muizzu’s leadership, the overall number of inmates and active offenders will steadily decrease.
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Figures from the Maldives Correctional Service show that 370 beds have been added to the system so far, with a target to reach 500 new beds during this term.
To resolve prison overcrowding permanently, the government is planning a modern, centralized prison complex at Uthuru Thilafalhu under a “One Prison Concept” that will consolidate all correctional services into a single site.
