Prison reforms, setting a juvenile and female detention remand facility, reviewing the existing Prisons Act and the need to fully engage and set up a rehabilitation process within the prison system that engages as many inmates as possible were the focus of discussions held last week between a United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC) expert in prison management, William Cullen, and Home Affairs Minister Mitcy Larue.
The meeting was attended by the Superintendent of Seychelles Prison Services, Vic Tirant, and the minister’s special advisor for prisons, Raymond St Ange.
The meeting provided an opportunity for Minister Larue to receive a briefing from Mr Cullen on progress made during his current mission to support of the Seychelles’ government efforts to reform the prison services.
In February this year, Superintendent Tirant submitted a Prison Reform Plan which details the strategic vision, aims and objectives of the prison services as well as seeking to reduce the financial burden on the government’s budget by becoming more efficient and self-sufficient.
The Prison Reform Plan aims for the Seychelles Prisons Services to set up a proper detention facility to manage female and juvenile remands.
Minister Larue commissioned a detention remand facility for male remands at the Bois de Rose police base this week.
“The new detention remand facility will manage male remands but work however continues as we now seek the assistance of the UNODC on how best to address the care and management of juveniles who are remanded into custody awaiting trial,” said Minister Larue.
Minister Larue admitted that the Seychelles Prisons Services lacked the necessary logistics to fully manage juveniles in a specialised setting and also taking into consideration the care and special needs of juveniles on remand as required by Prison Reform Plan.
The Ministry of Home Affairs is to work close consultation with the Ministry of Family Affairs and other partners such as the UNODC, the Seychelles Judiciary, the National Assembly and NGO’s with children’s care and child protection as their mission, to specifically address a purpose built facility for juveniles with the best suggested management practices in regard to the custodial care of juveniles.
“We simply cannot place guards and ‘manhandle’ juveniles and have to think to achieve the best results in reforming juveniles while in our care. We must ensure that we have well caring, mindful persons who can play an active part in the efforts that we want to put in place,” Minister Larue said.
