Coronavirus: Ajman's prison service turns to technology to combat Covid-19

Ajman Police has launched a scheme to limit numbers of visitors at prisons in the emirate

Touchscreens installed in Ajman prisons can be used to purchase approved goods from supermarkets.

Ajman's prisons are taking steps to combat the spread of coronavirus.

Families of inmates serving sentences in the emirate can now deposit money for their relatives remotely thanks to an initiative led by Ajman Police in Ajman Bank.

Previously, visitors have been allowed to deposit money at jails to be used by prisoners to purchase certain goods through a smart supermarket introduced in 2018.

The service allows inmates to use a card - usually topped up by loved ones - to buy goods online on touch screens installed in prisons which are then delivered to the institution in which they are in custody.

“The service is part of a series of preventive and precautionary measures to limit the presence of people at institution who come to hand over cash to be deposited for inmates,” Brig Gen Mubarak Khalfan Al-Razi, director of the Punitive and Correctional Institution in Ajman, said.

He said that money can now be deposited remotely in a dedicated account in Ajman Bank.

Families of inmates can visit any branch of Ajman Bank across the country, to deposit the amount. They need to mention the name of the inmate and his unified number.

“This service saves time, effort, and the trouble of coming to the punitive institution’s headquarters to deposit money, and it also limits the use of banknotes,” said Brig gen Al-Razi.