Early Release Seen As Solution To Over Crowded Prisons

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SUVA – The early release of inmates who qualify for extra-mural punishment is being looked at by the Fiji Corrections Service to ease the problem of overcrowding in prisons.

FCC spokeswoman Ana Tamani said the strategy was taken on board following reports of overcrowding in prisons, including the Labasa Prison.

Tamani said overcrowding was not confined to the Labasa Corrections Centre.

The Labasa Prison currently holds 141 inmates — more than the capacity of 81 inmates. Last week The Fiji Times highlighted the overcrowding of Lautoka Prison.

“A short-term strategy is identifying all inmates eligible for extra-mural punishment (EMP) and early release,” Tamani said.

“To date, we have 65 inmates on EMP who work six hours daily at various government institutions.

“EMP is only awarded to inmates who come in for minor offences and those with 12 months or less left of their sentence to serve.”

Tamani said prison overcrowding had been an ongoing problem and a daily challenge within all the centres of the FCS.

“People must understand that we have no control over the number of people entering our system. “We are only obligated to keep in safe and secure custody those who have been committed by the court.”