Vanuatu Corrections Visits FCS

An 11-member team from the Vanuatu Correctional Service, led by their Director Johnny Marango have completed a 3-day tour of the Fiji Corrections Service facilities from April 11-14.

The contingent was here on a fact finding mission to observe the FCS Flagship – the Yellow Ribbon Program and also the Business Units and how it assists in the rehabilitation and reintegration process on inmates.

“In fact, we have been planning this trip for a few years and we are very glad it is now a reality and it has been overwhelming for us to see how well the FCS has tailor made its programs to suit the culture and Fijian society as a whole,’’ Director Marango said.

“We are very impressed with the operations at Naboro for instance, we have always heard about it but to experience and see it firsthand gives us much inspiration on what we can implement back home.

“We were very much interested in the method of sentence classification and allocation of prisoners after admissions from court,’’ he added.

Acting Commissioner Salote Panapasa said the FCS was happy to host and share their knowledge of its operations and best practices to its Melanesia counterparts in the hope that they may be able to improve their services.

“The Corrections Services is a global family because we do the work of changing lives so that it impacts national security by making them better citizens from when they entered our facility.”

“I have assured Director Marango that the FCS stands ready to assist in their further development back home through advice and information sharing as we also have things to learn from them also.”

The team toured the Suva Women’s Corrections Center and its Catering facility, the Tagimoucia Art Gallery and the Business Units in Naboro namely the Tailor Unit, Joinery, Vegetable and Farm Area, Piggery, Poultry and also the Bakery Unit.

They also visited the K9 Unit which proved to be the one of their major highlights of the tour. The team then moved to Western Division later last week where they also visited the Lautoka Corrections facilities before they returned home.

Before leaving for Lautoka, they visited the Nasinu Vocational Center.

“They were very interested in our staff training development, But Nasinu must have been an eye opener for them to see firsthand how far we can take this path of second chances by providing a platform for their education as well,’’ Commissioner Panapasa added.

They were farewelled in Suva at a dinner also attended by the Minister for Justice, the Attorney General Hon Siromi Turaga, the Solicitor General Ropate Green Lomavatu and the Chief Registrar.