Home Minister Imran Abdulla has stated that modern changes have been brought to the correctional service 'after many years'.

The home minister said this in a video message sent to mark the 50th anniversary of the Maldives Correctional Service (MCS) on Saturday.

In his message, the minister stressed that positive changes have been brought to the correctional system. He stated that MCS does not simply conduct rehabilitation programmes, but are doing everything in their power to ensure that prisoners are sent out into the community as their best self.

This includes teaching them different skills and helping them become people the society would benefit from, said the minister.

Imran further noted the hard work that both the government and correctional service are doing, to ensure this.

Furthermore, the minister applauded the both the government and MCS' efforts to keep the community safe and prevent crime. He also highlighted that the entire society must work together to establish a peaceful and safe environment.

Imran, who himself served over two years of a 12-year prison sentence before the Supreme Court freed him in November 2018, previously said the criminal justice system needs to allow prisoners to re-enter society easily.

The main ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)'s manifesto for the 2018 presidential election includes a pledge to recognize convicts as vulnerable to further crime and to rehabilitate them.