There has been a rapid increase in the number of sex offenders imprisoned in corrections facilities – a cause of concern for the Fiji Corrections Service.
Eighty-six inmates from all the thirteen facilities are serving time for sexual offenses.
Commissioner for Corrections Lt. Colonel Ifereimi Vasu says sex offenders make up the largest portion of inmates entering the Corrections system in recent years – prompting a call for all communities to take more care.
“Request the religious bodies as well as the vanua if we can all work together his is not the right place for them to come and end up, if they can keep them up there in the community, keep them informed, keep them occupied all the time especially the youths. For sex offenders first of all, we will be isolating them so they can come and stay together, that’s where they call the program ’realization program’ where they come and they know themselves the seriousness of the offense they have committed.”
Lt. Col Vasu says in previous years, there were very few sex offenders serving time, but this category of criminals has now become the largest portion of inmates at most facilities.
FBC News was also told that sex offenders are kept in a separate unit for their own safety because of the possibility that another inmate may want to harm the perpetrator.
