UAE: President approves law overhauling correctional centres in Abu Dhabi

President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has issued a law regulating rehabilitation and correctional centres in Abu Dhabi, in his capacity as Ruler of Abu Dhabi.

The law outlines rehabilitation and correctional centres' general policies in Abu Dhabi, ensuring the protection of inmates' rights and the delivery of suitable social and cultural rehabilitation.

According to the law, punitive and correctional establishments in Abu Dhabi will be renamed rehabilitation and correctional centres.

Under the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, rehabilitation and correctional centres' roles and responsibilities include receiving inmates, identifying appropriate duty of care, and informing inmates on their responsibilities and expected behaviour.

Centres' roles also include the provision of health and social care services to inmates, education and professional training opportunities, and delivery of rehabilitation programmes to reintegrate inmates as effective members of the community.

Rehabilitation and correctional centres' responsibilities further encompass upskilling staff in line with the best international practices, enabling them to achieve their objectives of rehabilitating inmates while ensuring effective economic management across their rehabilitation ecosystem in the emirate.