11 women inmates refuse to leave Dubai jail, go home

Dubai - One of the inmates, who had served her sentence, said she enjoyed a safe life in prison.

Some women inmates in Dubai feel so at home in jail that 11 of them refuse to go back to their countries even after serving their time, an official has said.
Col Jamila Khalifa Al Zaabi, director of Dubai Women's Jail, said the 11 women didn't want to leave the prison because of the "good treatment and services" they are provided with at the facility.
Part of the jail's management is a standard, structured programme that is aimed at rehabilitating the inmates and ensuring they are given medical care and proper nutrition. They are also able to stay in touch with their families, especially their children, and get to live in a peaceful environment that is akin to a community, the director said.
What was supposed to be a facility for punishment turned out to be a place where the women got the "care" they said they wouldn't have experienced elsewhere.
One of the inmates from an Arab country, who had served her sentence, said she enjoyed a safe life in prison, something she claimed she "did not have in her home country". Not only was she being treated kindly, she was also encouraged to learn new skills and do her favourite hobbies like painting, she said.
NK, another foreign prisoner, said the women's jail is more than just a punitive institution. It has a huge library, a recreational hall for sports, a drawing room, a large open area for various matches, and more. They are free to walk around the facility's buildings and rooms and make the most of its amenities, NK said.
Al Zaabi said the Dubai Police do not scrimp on the care they provide to the inmates. Any health issues, including those they may have since childhood, are promptly addressed. The jail's food supplier is also the best in the country.
Discrimination also has no place behind bars as the women, albeit from several nationalities, are seen and regarded as equals, she said.
The prison's administration and the authorities work together to implement programmes with one primary goal - to provide all inmates with the opportunities they need to start new lives at the end of their sentence, Al Zaabi said.
amira@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai