By C1 Staff
ABU DHABI, UAE — A new jail being planned in Abu Dhabi could have inmates serve their whole sentences without ever seeing a single corrections officer.
The National reports that the new jail would revolutionize the relationship between inmates and officers, by having inmates deal primarily with social workers.
“We have found that prisoners see [officers] as rivals,” said Col. Mohammed Al Zaabi, manager of Abu Dhabi’s punishment and corrections department. “Even when they are released and we try to contact them for follow-up or offer our services, they are immediately on guard.
“They don’t want the police contacting them and so we will eliminate any contact between the [officers] and prisoners.”
Instead, inmates will solely communicate with social workers, trainers, psychologists, counsellors and medical staff.
A highly trained staff of 600 will be available around the clock.
As for the officers? They’ll be “behind the scenes” and asked only to intervene when necessary.
“The social workers have been trained on how to spot and deal with aggressive behavior,” Al Zaabi continued. “Even though you can’t see them, [officers] are very close and will immediately intervene if they sense danger.”
The new facility will be the largest in the emirate, holding up to 5,500 inmates. Al Zaabi is hoping to have one central location instead of several correctional facilities.
“Having all the inmates and services under one roof is cost effective and gives us the opportunity to offer better services to inmates. All our resources will be in one building for everyone to benefit.
“The project is now in its final stages and we can only hope that it will be fully functional in the near future.”