Judge: Penal system failing to rehabilitate offenders, needs systemic overhaul

The Maldivian penal system is failing to serve its core purpose of rehabilitating offenders and reducing recidivism and requires a systemic overhaul to address this pressing issue, said a Criminal Court judge on Sunday, as he presided over a remand hearing for a repeat offender.

Drug abuse and petty theft – the latter of which is often connected to the former – are among the most common cases for remand hearings at the Criminal Court.

On Sunday, Judge Safath Habeeb heard a case regarding a 46-year-old man who was arrested from Maldives Polytechnic – a college located in Male’. The suspect claimed he had just been hiding inside the store room, but the police believe he went in there to steal.

Safath decided there was sufficient evidence to warrant the suspicion of theft against him, and ordered the L. Gan native to be held at a custodial jail for 15 days.

At the hearing, the judge noted that the suspect has “unusually lengthy” record for theft.

He also confessed at court to being a drug addict.

Safath noted that it is common for people who suffer from drug addiction to get spend brief stints in detention, and then reoffend and get detained again as soon as they are released.

He pressed that prosecuting suspects for even the pettiest of crimes is costly for the state.

“While the core purpose of the penal system is to rehabilitate individuals, the current system is not producing effective results. This requires a systemic change,” reads the court warrant for the 46-year-old’s detention.

According to information released by Maldives Correctional Service, most Maldivian convicts are imprisoned on drug offenses, particularly for the possession and usage of drugs. There are also convictions for thefts and robberies to feed drug habits.

The drug crisis remains a longstanding issue in the Maldives, and is linked to multiple social issues. However, despite the seriousness of the issues – authorities – throughout different administrations – have been accused of failing to properly address these issues.

Experts have also been urging the authorities to take a more proactive approach to the fight against drugs.