Portal launched linking inmates with families

The Ministry of Interior yesterday officially launched a new portal that enables detainees and inmates to connect with their families.
Ministry Spokesman Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki said the portal will convert all conventional services into online applications, saving time for families.
He said the portal enables families of prisoners to keep up with the conditions of prisoners’ health, legal status and other procedural developments.
Through the portal, families can apply for visits permission. The confirmation of visitor’s permission will be sent to the families through mobile phone messages, he said.
Al-Turki said families of prisoners will be provided with secured accounts (such as user name and passwords) to ensure strict privacy and secrecy.
The portal will also arrange visits electronically — whether family, spouse, lawyer, or human rights workers — in addition to video call visits, he said.
Families can also follow activities and data related to their inmates, he said.
On humanitarian grounds, families could apply through the portal for a temporary release of their inmates to join them on social occasions such as marriage, graduation, death of relatives and other events, Al-Turki said.
However, some inmate data will not be available except agencies, such as embassies in case the inmate is a foreigner, lawyers or a closest relative, he said, adding that the portal is now operational.
The delay in launching the portal was attributed to the acquaintance of the inmates on the nature of new service and how to deal with it, he said.
The new online service will be provided to all inmates in the Kingdom except those undergoing investigation.