Authorities are working to resolve severe space constraints burdening the national correctional system by establishing approximately 370 beds to expand penal capacity, Commissioner of Prisons Hassan Zareer said.
While three facilities exist to isolate offenders, inadequate space remains a critical challenge, Zareer explained on the PSM News programme ‘Raajje Miadhu’. Systemic shortages remain severe, but the administration aims to expand total capacity to 500 beds within the current term.
"We have successfully expanded our capacity by approximately 370 beds, and in conjunction with this, we are actively constructing holding cells at the Hulhumalé prison, as well as developing a 140-person unit at the former Hulhumalé Covid facility provided by the government to replace the Malé prison," Zareer stated.
These deficiencies extend beyond capacity. Current facilities lack the infrastructure to adequately segregate and manage inmates, meaning elderly inmates and younger offenders share the exact same quarters, the commissioner observed. Consequently, efforts are underway to establish a specialised unit dedicated exclusively to individuals serving long-term sentences.
The nation’s original purpose-built prison in Malé was relocated to Hulhumalé because it stood adjacent to a school, a transition that failed to resolve overcrowding. Recently, a new unit opened on land previously utilised as a Covid-19 quarantine and treatment centre.
A permanent resolution will be achieved through a central facility modelled on a ‘one prison concept’, the government claims. Operating facilities on two inhabited islands where local tourism flourishes remains a significant concern for officials and the public. To mitigate this, the administration envisions developing a centralised correctional facility in Uthuru Thilafalhu.