No mentally deranged inmates in prisons of the UAE, says official

Brigadier Yousuf Abdul Karim, Director of Reformatories and Punitive Establishments Department at the Abu Dhabi Police, reacting to yesterday’s report in the Gulf News, said the inmates were given the best care and entertainment opportunities. Those who suffered from depression are referred to psychiatric hospitals and given complete treatment, he added.

Khaleej Times visited Al Washba Prison in Abu Dhabi and met a number of prisoners, who praised the good treatment and the sophisticated services provided to them.

At the technical workshops, the prisoners get work for which they are well paid. A gallery in the prison, designed by the inmates, houses art works produced by themselves.

The UAE Law has categorically banned the imprisonment of mentally deranged convicts, said Counselor Zaglool Al Belouchi from the Ministry of Justice and Islamic affairs and Auqaf (Endowments).

Any inmate, once diagnosed as mentally deranged, is shifted to a hospital and the charges against him are dropped. However, if it is mere psychological disorder, the charges will remain and the patient will have to complete the jail term, he said.

Dr Mohammed Al Murr, Director of Human Rights Care Department at Dubai Police said that mentally ill prisoners are kept in different cells from normal prisoners.

Referring to the recent case of death of a mentally ill prisoner in Sharjah prison, reported by a section of the media yesterday, officials of Sharjah prison refused to comment. However, a source disclosed that the dead was an Indian but said he was not sure whether he was mentally ill or one of the normal inmates.