The majority of medium and high-risk convicts taking part in a pioneering Open Prison Programme have graduated with honours and secured futures that should keep them on the straight and narrow.
Out of 48 former prisoners enrolled in the first programme, 13 have received permanent job offers in the private sector and others have displayed their entrepreneurial spirit by setting up new innovative businesses.
An exhibition highlighting several success stories took place on the sidelines of a graduation ceremony staged at the Public Security Officers’ Club in Gudaibiya.
Only four per cent – just two individuals – failed to make the cut.
During the ceremony it was announced that a further 57 convict candidates had been selected as part of a second intake into the initiative.
The Open Prison Complex in Hamala, which is operated under the Interior Ministry’s General Directorate of Verdict Enforcement and Alternative Sentencing, features the latest education systems, alongside a library, computer centre, gym and recreation centre, among other facilities to help the inmates change their lives around.
Prisoners placed in this complex can benefit from numerous training opportunities and master carpentry and handicraft-making and other etiquette skills to build their CVs.
They also have access to a traditional games centre and a computer centre to check their emails or attend virtual meetings with potential employers.
Interior Minister General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa said earlier that selected convicts had to undergo tough tests and a strict evaluation process to move from a normal closed prison environment to the state-of-the-art open prison complex.
The new regime comes with less security and supervision. Offenders, who successfully complete the three to six months of rigorous evaluation, including risk assessment, can even work outside the prison walls.
&uuid=(email))