K2mil from govt will encourage training, farming in prisons

Correctional Service Minister Roy Biyama says the government has given K2 million to train inmates various trade skills while in prison.
This would encourage aspects of trade work, farming and other skills.
“Prison industry, I’m really interested in that because I don’t want to feed people just sitting back.
“Those people who are convicted (prisoners) must be doing something so that they can have food on the table.
“They just can’t depend on the government for their rations. If they want to eat something better because in the media I saw that a judge had ruled in favour of prisoners at Bomana jail that they want to eat something better so ration must change. We have to make changes in our own institution because the judge said their ration must change.”
Biyama said during the closing of a workshop for Papua New Guinea Correctional Services officers in Port Moresby yesterday that they had a K5 million cut in the 2018 budget.
“We budgeted for K124million butthat was cut down to K119million,” he said.
“So we have to live within our means.
Our institutions are falling apart so we have to make use of our funds. We have to spread them and make equal distributions so our prisoners can use carpentry work to improve our facilities.”