Nursery for children of female inmates in Dubai

We at PRISON CALL DEALS are passionate about bringing positive stories related to prison experiences. We often write about international examples that could provide ideas for prisons in the US. Here is another positive story from abroad – from Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.

The Punitive and Correctional Establishments of Dubai Police are building a nursery, for the children of female inmates.

According to the law in Dubai, a child stays at the establishment until he or she is two years old, after which the child is handed over to the female inmate’s parents or spouse.

Nursery for children of female inmates in Dubai

Female inmate in Dubai and her child

Brig Ali Al Shamali, head of the Punitive and Correctional Establishments at Dubai Police, said that “there are now about 52 children at Punitive and Correctional Establishments in Dubai,” and there are a number of cases in which children over the age of two stay with their mothers because the inmate has no available family members to take care of the child.

“Most female inmates do not have family in the UAE,” he said. “Not more than 1 per cent of the children are Arabs, and the rest are of Asian and African nationalities, among others.”

The construction of the nursery building is ongoing, and it will be finished next year. Brig Al Shamali said that the new nursery would contribute to Dubai Police’s plans to give the children, who currently stay in a special ward with their mothers, a more normal childhood, separate from their mothers’ imprisonment.

“We want to give the children a chance to have a childhood, and the mothers an opportunity to spend enough time with them in a friendly environment,” he said. “The nursery will teach children the basics for their age group, as well as needed skills to further their knowledge.”