FIJI needs a dedicated rehabilitation centre for its prisoners as drug-related offences continue to place pressure on the prison system.
Fiji Corrections Service Acting Commissioner Auta Moceisuva said there was no external facility providing rehabilitation services for inmates, nor separate treatment centres within existing prison compounds.
“In terms of treatment, I do not think there is a facility outside of the prisons that has rehabilitation services,” he said.
“Neither do we have, because as we speak, all prisons are housed in the same facilities across Fiji.”
He noted that the majority of inmates are concentrated in facilities in Lautoka, Suva and Nakasi.
Mr Moceisuva said Cabinet had approved the construction of a drug rehabilitation centre for use by the Fiji Corrections Service, with funding incorporated into the Government’s multi-year budget cycle.
“The good thing is that Cabinet has approved the construction of a drug rehabilitation centre to be used by the Fijian prison service.”
“That has been factored into the multiple budgetary cycle of government.”
He said the corrections service was actively seeking partnerships with potential donors to support the program.
Mr Moceisuva said the need for a dedicated facility was driven by concerns over the rising number of drug offenders in prisons and the potential for the situation to worsen.
“Because we foresee that we have worse in the future.
“For now, we are working on the ground to establish the facility.”
However, he acknowledged uncertainty over whether agencies would respond to assist with the construction of the centre.
“We are not sure whether agencies will respond so that we build this facility to cater for the rising number of drug offenders in our prisons.”
