President approves prison reforms

President Mohamed Muizzu has approved a comprehensive plan to expand work opportunities for inmates both within and outside prison facilities.

Under this new framework, those who complete rehabilitation programmes according to guidelines set by the Ministry of Homeland Security and Technology and Maldives Correctional Service will be eligible for sentence reductions and pardons through a structured system.

The decision was made by the president after deliberations during the cabinet meeting held on Sunday, following a paper from the Ministry of Homeland Security and Technology.

Drawing from the paper presented at the cabinet meeting, and with the cabinet's advice, the president has authorised several key reforms. These include implementing a new rehabilitation framework, modifying the system to enhance employment prospects for inmates both inside and outside prisons, and integrating the rehabilitation framework with pardons, parole and sentence reduction mechanisms.

The plan also calls for an expansion of community service initiatives. To ensure proper implementation, relevant government agencies have been assigned specific responsibilities, with a defined timeline for achieving and monitoring key objectives.