KUWAIT: Officials discussed last week the proposal to amend laws regarding employment and wages in correctional facilities, the interior ministry said in a statement.

The discussion was part of a meeting to explore the mechanism for operating craft incubator workshops in correctional institutions. It was headed by the Director General of the Correctional Institutions Sector, Brigadier General Fahad Al-Obaid, with the presence of many official government agencies.

Prisons in Kuwait have held craft workshops to rehabilitate inmates since at least the late 1990s and products made by inmates have been displayed at exhibits over the years. The workshops offer a chance for inmates to learn a craft or profession to help them make a living once they are released.

The meeting discussed the development of the mechanism for operating craft workshops in correctional institutions within the “Sanedhum” initiative, which was launched in strategic partnership and official cooperation protocols with the Human Construction Association for Social Development, the National Office for Human Rights and the University of Kuwait.

The meeting also discussed the proposal to amend laws regarding employment and wages, the introduction of a new mechanism for the operation of workshops, and the presentation of the current reality and the mechanism of their work. Participants also examined the mechanism for managing the products of prison workshops in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, as well as Kuwait’s proposed vision for operating the workshops.

The meeting was attended by representatives from Fatwa and Legislation, the Financial Supervisory Authority, the Audit Bureau, the Ministry of Finance, the National Office for Human Rights, as well as the financial and legal department in the Ministry of Interior, and the Police Association.