Fiji is now home to drug traffickers deported from different countries such as the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand who continue to ply their trade locally.
Commissioner of Corrections, Dr Jalesi Nakarawa highlighted this during a roundtable discussion with members of the diplomatic corp and the Fiji Corrections Service facilitated by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Suva.
Dr Nakarawa says they are collaborating with Police Intelligence to provide access to imprisoned drug traffickers and extract valuable information regarding their drug cartels.
He says the world is going through a challenging time with increasing globalisation facilitated by trade and cross-border relationships, and emerging issues in criminal activities are getting more complex.
Dr Nakarawa says human trafficking, cybercrime and hard drugs have all changed the criminal operations and the Corrections has seen drug offenders entering prison.
Meanwhile, the Minister for Justice, Siromi Turaga says imprisonment in Fiji requires necessary evolution as we need to rethink and redefine our approach to corrections.
Turaga says the Correction Services, like many correctional systems worldwide, has long been governed by traditional views of imprisonment, emphasizing containment and punishment.
He says the traditional model of imprisonment has proven to be insufficient in addressing the complexities of crimes.
The Minister for Justice adds high re-offending rates, the stigmatisation of former inmates and the often-neglected psychological and social needs of prisoners highlight the necessity for a new paradigm.
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