Expo showcases hand-made products by prisoners

AMMAN — The Public Security Directorate’s Department of Correction and Rehabilitation Centres (CRC) on Thursday launched its annual exhibition to promote hand-made products by CRC inmates.

The three-day exhibition held at Jarra Association’s building at Rainbow Street, titled “Made with Strong Will”, ended on Saturday.

The CRC launched the exhibition in 2019, under CRC Law 9 for the year 2004.

Inmates held at CRC are not deprived of their rights. The aim of the CRC is to reform the behaviour of inmates through providing them with the necessary work skills after they are released from prisons, Ra’ed Saoudi, the International Cooperation Programmes Manager at the CRC, said.

“Seventy per cent of the proceeds go back to the inmates while the rest are invested in developing training centres at the CRC,” Saoudi told The Jordan Times.

He added that the primary goal of CRC programmes is to reduce the levels of recidivism — the number of inmates who reoffend after they are released from prison. 

CRC’s programmes also aim to improve the mental health of inmates, to keep them busy and productive and to help them provide for their families, he added.

“Rehabilitation programmes seek to improve the likelihood that offenders will lead a productive, crime-free life upon release from prison,” Saoudi added.

Investing in inmates is an investment for society, Ali Abu Ragheb, a visitor to the exposition, told The Jordan Times.

The CRC offers inmates various rehabilitation programmes while they are still in prison, including pottery, wood art, handicrafts and embroidery, according to the official. 

There are also several factories for the CRC inmates. Inmates who work at the factories get monthly salaries, in addition to a subscription at the Social Security Corporation, Saoudi added.

“The products are made with high quality materials and the prices are very affordable,” Amer Zoubi, a visitor to the exhibition, said.

CRC launched a website that displays all the products by the inmates. Each product has a code that refers to the inmate who made the product, people can shop and pay online, Saoudi added.