In 2014, it was announced that Saudi Arabia was looking into developing prison regulations aimed at cutting down five percent of the prison sentence for inmates who successfully pass a school year. Speaking to Arab News at the time, the head of prisons in Makkah, Col. Saleh bin Ali A-Qahtani explained that the Makkah prisons department was embarking “on the development of regulations and rules to enable prisoners to work outside prisons and return, as per strategies and guidelines established in partnership between the private sector and the Ministry of Labor.”
This week, Saudi Arabia’s focus on creating a culture of rehabilitating inmates was brought to the forefront once again, this time through one Saudi prison’s partnership with the General Entertainment Authority (GEA). According to Al-Arabiya English, Jeddah’s Briman Prison has been providing prisoners with entertainment lineups such as theater, music and other rehabilitation programs, aimed at rehabilitating them into society. The news site highlighted how these programs have been specifically designed for prisoners to take part in cultural activities and performances, which their families are allowed to attend.
تأهيل 12 ألف #سجين في تخصصات #تقنية و #مهنيةhttps://t.co/MDn5cIoagZ #التدريب_التقني #السجون #تأهيل_السجناء #سجناء #السعودية #الشرق pic.twitter.com/pmDRLxBJtU
— صحيفة الشرق (@alShrqNews) 2 janvier 2017
This partnership between Briman Prison and the GEA is seen as part of the Saudi Ministry of Interior’s long-term commitment to rehabilitation. According to the Ministry’s website, the General Directorate of Prisons “is fully aware of the important role it has in the area of rehabilitation and care that inmates require. There is no doubt that the programs of training, rehabilitation and employment of prisoners play a key role in the success of this reform policy.”
#صور | أقامت رئاسة #أمن_الدولة مساء أمس (السبت) في #الرياض حفل زواج لأحد النزلاء في سجن المباحث العامة بالحاير، وقدمت رئاسة أمن الدولة مبلغ مالي للزوج، وعدد من الهدايا للعروسين.#عكاظhttps://t.co/JTehHJr0f0 pic.twitter.com/Gl7Eze1pK0
— صحيفة عكاظ (@OKAZ_online) 23 mars 2019
According to data from the Directorate of Prisons, a total of 558 prisoners in the Jeddah authority attended a range of workshops in prisons in 2015, including social theater, educational and social lectures, and poetry workshops. Speaking to the news site, one of the authorities at Briman Prison explained that there is a special team that provides guidance to prisoners after they have left the facility, saying, “We add them to WhatsApp groups, we look out for them, and have activities for prisoners after they’ve left, we take them on beach activities — we continue to help them.”
