The Kingdom’s prison authorities are stepping up efforts to reform and rehabilitate prison inmates lodged in various prisons in the country.

A two-day forum held in Makkah and conducted by the city’s prison directorate, focused on reforms and management of Saudi Arabia’s jails.

Among the topics discussed at the gathering, which concluded this week, were the issues of rehabilitation and security measures.

During the forum, it was also stressed that Saudi Arabia is a world leader in the successful rehabilitation of prisoners convicted of terrorist related offenses.

According to Brig. Musfer Abdullah Al-Swat, director of Makkah’s prisons, the main focus in prison reforms in the Kingdom is vocational training and rehabilitation.

Al-Swat said that the evaluation of prisoners is mostly based on their behavior, and that rehabilitating the inmates according to their skills is one of the goals of the prison authorities.

Al-Swat also noted that the idea came from the late Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz who proposed imparting vocational training to prison inmates during his visit to prisons in Riyadh.

The director also pointed out that the inmates’ health care is of the utmost importance for prison officials, with especial treatments also being paid for if needed.

Among the many skills and talents of the inmates, the female prisoners excel in crafts and embroidery.

As proof of their talent, a handcraft product exhibition on display during the forum was hailed by all visiting prison officials.

Another topic that was discussed during the event, was the role of the Ministry of Social Welfare to support the inmate’s families.