540 inmates in Sharjah prison e-meet loved ones amid Covid-19 pandemic

Sharjah - 90 families of Emirati inmates benefitted from visits of SSSD’s special teams to their homes.

The Sharjah Social Services Department (SSSD) in collaboration with the Sharjah Police organised remote communication for 540 inmates, who are lodged at Sharjah Punitive and Correctional Institution (SPCI), in a bid to virtually meet their family members inside the UAE and abroad amid the raging coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.

Faiza Hassan Khabab, Director, Family Forum Centre, SSSD, said the department launched "remote visual communication" between inmates and their family members via an electronic platform.

The mechanism has been effective, as it helped the public to adhere to social distancing norms amid a concerted bid to combat the spread of the contagion. It also helped expatriate inmates to virtually meet their family members after several months. They could virtually meet their loved ones and discuss family matters in private.

“The programme, which is being organised in collaboration with the Sharjah Police, allows six inmates to meet their families a day,” Khabab said.

“The SSSD is pulling out all stops to double the number of virtual communications a day. Plans are afoot to allow 12 inmates to meet their families virtually a day,” she added.

The SSSD authorities also assigned special teams to visit the homes of Emirati inmates. The teams carried a smart device, linked to a vision room located at the SPCI, with them in a bid to facilitate the virtual communication.