‘Does this feel to you like a prison? If so, we have failed’

There are more than 50 young people detained at the Mafraq Juvenile Welfare Centre, and the staff never forget that they were sent there by a judge, and for a reason – but they are not treated as criminals, rather as youngsters with behavioural problems and in need of guidance.

At the Juvenile Welfare Centre, officers wear kanduras rather than uniforms and the young people are never described as inmates. Courtesy Wathba Prison
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Around the living accommodation there is a football field, a clinic, a mosque and a school. It could easily be mistaken for a housing complex.

In fact, it is the Juvenile Welfare Centre in Mafraq, about 30 kilometres from Abu Dhabi, where police aim to make nearly 60 young people in their custody feel as comfortable as possible. Officers wear kanduras rather than uniforms, and the young people are never described as inmates

“They are called sons and daughters – our children,” said Lt Col Abdullah Al Hosani, manager of the centre’s correction and rehabilitation division.

Their living quarters are not called cells or wards, but houses. Each of the four houses carries an inspirational name, such as House of Success or House of Achievements.

“Look around you,” says Col Al Hosani. “Does this feel like a prison? If it does in any way, then we have failed and are not doing our job properly.

“Our aim is to rehabilitate. These children are not criminals. They just have a few behavioural problems and need guidance. We see ourselves as doctors and our job is to help cure them.”

Most young people spend between three and 12 months at the centre. “It is very rare that they are here for more than a year,” said Col Dr Abdullah bu Hindi, director of the Juvenile Welfare Centre. “The majority have a court order to be placed in our custody for four months.”

The facilities may seem plush, but the results are undeniable. The facility has a recidivism rate of only 3 per cent.

About 600-700 young people of various nationalities come through the centre every year. “Some are even detained here from a day to two weeks. On average we have 35 juveniles in our facility. Currently there are 56 in our custody, which we see as quite high,” he said.

Exercise and education are regarded as the cornerstones of rehabilitation.

“We have a daily morning and evening programme for juveniles,” he said. “We are completely convinced that this plays a vital role in rehabilitation.

“We don’t forget that these juveniles are serving a sentence ordered by a judge but what we want to do is turn this sentence into one where the juvenile is rehabilitated. After receiving his sentence and a juvenile comes to us, this is our goal … to integrate them back into society as a productive individual. They are the future generation.”

H M, a 16-year-old Moroccan, is in the centre for stealing a car.

“I was kicked out of school and every school in the country because I fought with the principal and got into a lot of fights. I was arrested many times but I can’t do this any more.

“My mother needs me and all my siblings have gotten married and left the house. She has no one but me now.”

“I’m studying here and the centre has managed to convince a school to accept me.”

Z K, a 17-year-old Egyptian, was convicted of sodomy.

“They tell me I will be deported back to Egypt because this is my second arrest. I can’t go back there,” he said in Emirati-accented Arabic. “I was born and raised in Umm Al Quwain.”

He hopes to appeal to the judge and ask to remain in the UAE.

“I am finishing my studies and am now in Grade 11 and doing well. I’m hoping that will convince the judge. I have attended religious lectures here and have learnt from my mistakes. I’d like to grow up and work for the Abu Dhabi Police.

“I can’t go back to Egypt. My dad is there and married another woman. He has never raised me and knows nothing about me. I want to remain here with my mum. Maybe a good behaviour report will convince the judge?”

Brig Gen Ahmed bin Nukhairah, director of the human rights department at the Ministry of Interior, is proud of the progress the juvenile justice system has made.

“I’m not trying to proclaim anything,” he said, “but the largest ratio of juveniles to social workers is in the UAE. Internationally, an average of every 10 to 20 juveniles have a social worker. At our centre, every three to four juveniles has a dedicated social worker.

“I have been to most countries such as the US, Switzerland and Sweden. I have also never seen a rehabilitation centre with a fully accredited school within the facility. Our services are of the highest calibre. What we seek now is professionalism.”

Gen bin Nukhairah, who is also head of the special committee for the functioning of the Juvenile Welfare Centre, said the centre’s low rate of recidivism was also remarkable.

“I was shocked to find that it stands at around 40 per cent in the US,” he said.

“But the crimes of our children are different. The majority are in for petty crimes, traffic offences and because of neglect from the family. They are not hard-core criminals.

“We are not the best in the world. Our staff might not be the best. We have our faults and mistakes, but we are trying our best and working hard continuously to get better, develop and fix our mistakes.”

salnuwais@thenational.ae