Vice President Faisal Naseem said on Tuesday that every inmate in the custody of Correctional Services Should be offered the opportunity to rehabilitate and reintegrate into society. He made these remarks while speaking at the ceremony to mark the closing of the first drug rehabilitation programme and a certificate course in electrical wiring for inmates of Maafushi Prison. The programme was carried out by the Maldives Correctional Service (MCS).

The Vice President said that the prison system and society should view inmates as people who could better themselves and become productive citizens. Speaking against discrimination faced by inmates, the Vice President called on the community to treat them with respect and integrity and to offer them the opportunity to reintegrate into society as successful members of their families.

The Vice President congratulated the inmates who completed the rehabilitation programme and certificate course and called on them to strive hard to avoid recidivism. He also spoke about the administration-led initiatives to combat drug offences.

MCS launched the drug rehabilitation programme in February 2022 to provide detoxification and substance abuse treatment, training, and vocational education to drug offenders. The Vice President presented certificates to the 32 inmates who completed the programme. The Minister of Home Affairs, Imran Abdulla, the Minister of Health, Ahmed Naseem, and the Commissioner of Prisons, Ahmed Mohamed Fulhu, attended the ceremony held in Maafushi Prison.