Morobe and Central to test new-look lock-ups

WORK to establish rural community rehabilitation or detention centres throughout the country is under progress with two new pilot projects in Central and Morobe provinces to begin next year.
A total of 17 rural lock-ups will be rolled out into rural districts, Correctional Service Commissioner Richard Sikani said at Mumeng last Friday.
According to the law and order statistics, urban migration resulted in the increase of law and order problems in many urban and semi-urban areas.
To minimise the situation, Law and Justice Sector is embarking on a sectoral approach to take community detention centres to where the bulk of the population is living, Mr Sikani said.
“It is more precise and is community-oriented and environmental friendly to ensure prisoners feel at home as well as contribute to the up keep of the centre and get involved in community activities,” CS Minister Tony Aimo said.
The centre at Mumeng will cater for 60 prisoners serving less than a year and will be manned by six warders. The prisoners will be new inmates or old ones finishing their terms.
The project would also minimise transport costs to take rural prisoners to central jails as well as allow relatives easy access to their family members in the jail, Supt Samson Jaro, commander of Buimo jail in Lae, said.
The other pilot project lock-up will be built at Moreguina in Abau district, Central province, to start the 2010-13 rural detention centre work, Mr Aimo said.
Feasibility studies have already started in the provinces.