Government will continue with efforts to improve the Fiji Corrections Service infrastructure, says Minister for Justice and Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum.
He shared this with guests as he opened a brand new $674,000 multipurpose facility that comes with a dining hall and kitchen at the Ba Corrections Center on Wednesday, January 31, 2018
“This new establishment is Government’s contribution to improving the Fiji Corrections Service infrastructure and also service delivery,’’ he said.
“Recently, I have commissioned new facilities for the Fiji Corrections Service and I pay tribute to the hard work carried out by the Commissioner and his officers who have worked hard to get these new structures up.
“For a while, the FCS a neglected in terms of having proper facilities and we have made a promise to change all that as it all aids in the whole process of rehabilitation.
He said the Corrections Service was one part of the criminal justice system that was highly neglected for many years by previous administrations.
“It was neglected from the perspective of the facilities for the inmates and the conditions in which they were imprisoned.
“The improved conditions now range from improved sanitation to bedding and to the structure of the buildings all in accordance with human rights conventions.”
Corrections Commissioner Francis Kean said the former structure was damaged during Tropical Cyclone Winston.
“This capital project is part of our rehabilitation works undertaken by Government,” he said.
“We are grateful to Government for the funding that they have provided to complete this project, which I’m sure the inmates will enjoy.
“”At the moment we have 37 inmates here at the Ba Corrections Centre and the new modern facility will service not only our staff but also our inmates who will undergo rehabilitation programs that will be delivered as part of their stay with us.
Also commissioned on the same day by Commander Kean himself was a new storage facility for the Logistics Support Unit at the Lautoka Corrections Center and a new segregation block for inmates who were waiting to attend trial or for those who needed to be isolated from the main inmate population for disciplinary or safety issues.
“These new facilities are to help our officers with firstly some extra room for the proper storage of equipment and supplies and also for the safety of the men and women under our care in Lautoka,’’ Commander Kean said.
