Fifty-nine inmates have been able to secure employment through the Fiji Corrections Service’s Yellow Ribbon Employment Expo since its inception in 2018.

FCS Director Rehabilitation Waisale Soqonakalou says the initiative allows inmates to rehabilitate and reintegrate themselves into society.

The Fiji Corrections Service hosted its 2024 Yellow Ribbon Employment Expo today, with 22 inmates introduced to opportunities for employment.

Soqonakalou says they cannot carry out the work alone, emphasizing the importance of whole-of-society support towards the transformation of inmates.

“At times when inmates comes back into the society, the stigma is still there. They are still stigmatized by their past. But we want to break that barrier. We want to educate the community that the offenders that are serving in prison, they are part of the community. They do not belong in the prison. So come a time, they’ll come back.”

Soqonakalou says out of the 22 inmates in the Employment Expo today, six inmates were absorbed by an employer from the Western Division.

106 employers are part of the initiative since its establishment.

The Director of Rehabilitation reiterates the importance of acceptance for inmates, offering another chance for them to redirect their path in life, which would also help reduce the rate of recidivism in the country.