Second Chance Program gave a boost to criminal activity: Minister of Home Affairs

Second Chance Program devised and carried out by former President Nasheed’s government involved many illegal activities, and the program greatly contributed to boost criminal activity in the Maldivian society, said Dr. Muhammad Jameel Ahmed, the Minister of Home Affairs.

Speaking to Sun, the Home Minister said that Nasheed’s government carried out the Second Chance Program not with an intention to rehabilitate criminals and bring them back into the society, but to free certain sentenced and serving criminals for the political purposes of Nasheed’s government. Dr. Jameel said that as a large number of convicted and dangerous criminals were let loose in the society under the program, Malé became much more dangerous, theft, looting, and drug issues increased uncontrollably.

Dr. Jameel also said that despite a set of criteria for determining who were eligible for release under the Second Chance Program, those who were freed under the program rarely fit the criteria.

“They just prepared a list, and those in the list were freed. I personally checked the list and the criteria, and it is clear that those who were released did not fit the criteria they themselves set forth. We are now seeing the result; the society is suffering from a serious situation of increase in the rate of crime”, said Dr. Jameel.

Dr. Jameel also said that the government is now carrying out a difficult and burdensome task to relocate dangerous criminals let loose into the society by Nasheed’s government, and that the efforts have brought more than 1000 such criminals behind the bars.

Dr. Jameel said that while everyone talks about “building the nation”, there are certain issues which “should not be made political”. He said that the criminal justice system, being a decisive component of the society on which depends the safety and security of the lives and property of the people, should not be subjected to political activities, and influence.

“When we talk about dangerous criminals, we are talking about a group of people who harm the society in serious ways. When such people are prosecuted and sentenced and sent into prison, it is a question of dispensing justice in the society. If we release tomorrow the criminal who is sentenced to prison today, that is not justice for the society”, said Dr. Jameel.

The Home Minister also assured his government had a policy of bringing any imprisoned criminal back into the society, if that person seems to have a real prospect of rehabilitation and a meaningful social life as a law-abiding citizen. He said that the government would take all measures to ensure that this decision is never a political one.