Yellow Ribbon Project awareness to extend to youth groups – Prof Prasad

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Professor Biman Prasad has shown his support for the extension of the Yellow Ribbon Project to schools and youth groups as part of its awareness program, so youths can understand that life behind bars can be a big waste of time.

While supporting the motion to review the Fiji Corrections Service Annual Report 2017–2018’, which was tabled on 30 August 2022, Professor Prasad says he was always fascinated with the Yellow Ribbon Project because it has assisted inmates to turn a new leaf.

He says the Corrections Service has established 15 facilities in Fiji, including two female centres in Suva and Lautoka and two male remand centres in Suva and Lautoka.

The Minister hopes that the projects of setting up a male remand centre, and women corrections centres in the North would commence in this financial year.

Responding to the issue of job evaluation, the Finance Minister says there is a need for this to be re-looked at and confirms that it is under review.

He says there is quite a disparity in salary bands and allowances, however, he questions why the previous government did not do anything about it.

He also highlighted that there is a need to review the Prisons Act 2006 to also include the officers and those involved in the work of the prison itself.

Meanwhile, FijiFirst MP and Former Corrections Service Commissioner, Ioane Naivalurua says the Corrections Service sits at the back-end of the judicial system and was an organisation that previous governments neglected through the detriment of the whole nation.

He says it was into this neglect that the FijiFirst government under the former Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama breathed life and through a number of initiatives including the Yellow Ribbon Program.

Naivalurua says the Yellow Ribbon Project is the flagship of the rehabilitation movement and it has the potential to become an international value added project.

The FijiFirst MP says the best way to support the Corrections Service is to fully support the job evaluation exercise for the Fiji Corrections staff that was approved by the FijiFirst Government.