Inside the Dubai Women's Central Jail in Al Aweer

Gulf News

Gulf News visits the Dubai Women's Central Jail in Al Aweer to see how inmates are being rehabilitated. See more at: See more at www.gulfnews.com/videos

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00:00Filthy, crowded, dark, dangerous.

00:07These are some of the images that come to mind when talking about prison cells.

00:12But when Gulf News visited a prison facility for women in Dubai, most of the negative impressions

00:18we had about the prison cell were shattered.

00:21Through the lens of GNTV, we give you an exclusive tour to show the true state of the women's

00:26central jail in Dubai.

00:29Upon entering the facility, which is located in Al-Aweer, we discovered a spacious courtyard,

00:35playground, well-lit rooms, training and workshop facilities, a clinic with a full-time doctor

00:42and even a supermarket among other amenities.

00:45What we saw was a community of people trying to make a positive change in their lives.

00:53Built in an area almost a million square meters in size, the Dubai Central Jail embraces the

00:58concept of open jail.

01:01No steel bars, spacious rooms, wall-to-wall glass windows and plenty of spaces.

01:07The prison facility for women accommodates more than 400 female inmates.

01:12In the past years, thousands of women of different nationalities have come and left the facility

01:19reformed and with new skills that will help them start a new life.

01:24The 38 children aged 3 to 8 also live in the facility with their mothers.

01:29The children are allowed to live with their mothers in the community-like facility as

01:33they have no relatives to take care of them outside.

01:39The open jail concept also means that the prison cells are not locked, allowing all

01:44prisoners to interact with others.

01:47The inmates can also talk with jail officers freely and openly about their problems, needs

01:53and how they feel.

01:54The jail officers are trained extensively and have been carefully selected for the job.

01:59They are both firm and compassionate when dealing with the inmates.

02:04The Women's Central Jail is a testament that life really does not end inside the prison.

02:09People commit mistakes and prison facilities are there to help them become reformed individuals.

02:15Irish Eden Balieza, Gulf News.

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