Acting Correction Commissioner Salote Panapasa

The current space for the remand centre in the Northern Division is not enough for the number of remand prisoners coming into the system.

Acting Correction Commissioner Salote Panapasa says that drugs and thefts are the two most common offences for minors or young offenders in the Northern Division who are in remand centres.

She says that plans are in place for the building of new remand centres in the Northern Division as the current facility cannot hold the capacity of the remand prisoners.

Panapasa adds that most of these young offenders come from dysfunctional family upbringings, which can pose challenges to officers in moulding their attitudes.

“This is one of the problems my officers are facing right now, so apart from their corrections officer duties, there are also the duties of parents and pastors in order to mould this young offender’s attitude and behaviour.”

Plans are also in place for the construction of a women’s correction centre in the northern division.