AG concerned about the number of elderly people cared for in prison

Attorney General Siromi Turaga says one of the things that clearly stood out from his visit to the Fiji Corrections Service in Walu Bay is the number of elderlies being cared for in prison.

Turaga says he has discussed it at length with senior officials on how they will manage this.

He says the visit was also an opportunity to look at how the inmates are cared for.

The AG adds working in the correction facility is challenging, and the officers need to address the trauma that comes with it.

Turaga says what the coalition government has created is more of a professional approach where they create an environment where officers can work freely.

The AG and the media were invited for a visit to the Korovou Prison, the Suva Remand Centre and the Suva Women’s Prison today.

Siromi Turaga had time to talk to some of the offenders and urged them that this was not the end of their lives.

The AG also met some Corrections officers and urged them to uphold the law when dealing with offenders and not to use force as it is wrong under the Constitution.

Turaga also congratulated the work of Acting Commissioner Salote Panapasa in leading the Fiji Corrections Service after the resignation of former Commissioner Frances Kean.

The Attorney General also stressed to officers to stand by and support the Acting Commissioner as she was one of the officers that went through all the stages from passing out as a prison officer to becoming the head of the institution.