Dubai prisoners produce their own TV channel. Excerpts from a documentary filmed and produced entirely by prisoners in Dubai jail, showcasing how inmates are developing their media skills by producing video and audio content for their very own in-house television channel. See more at: http://gulfnews.com/gntv
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00:00In the path of life, people may stray from the straight path for various reasons, breaking
00:15some of the laws and regulations and hence deserving a punishment, finding himself ultimately
00:21in the hands of justice. And here enters the civilised and social role of the Department
00:37of the Penal and Correctional Institutions, holding the hands of such persons to rehabilitate
00:43and improve their behavioural and psychological characteristics such that they may become
00:48again a productive element of society. With this approach and objective in mind, this
00:56person is introduced into a new way of life that he has not experienced before. The duration
01:02of the incarceration periods vary from one inmate to another, depending on each person's
01:07crime and sentence. The Department thus developed its objectives and goals to allow inmates
01:19to be involved in several high quality programmes and schemes that provide the inmates with
01:26the opportunity and tools to utilise and sharpen their knowledge, experience and creativity,
01:33thus channelling their efforts and energy into rehabilitating and educating themselves
01:38such that when they are released, they transition into productive elements of society. Amongst
01:43several focused and varied activities, a creative concept was recently launched, a concept based
01:50on visual media, through a group of inmates, some of whom have experience in multimedia
01:55programming and production, while the others are eager to learn and develop their skills.
02:00Talents have been unrevealed, and a unique opportunity presented itself for them to
02:09develop a TV drama production that targets educating inmates on drug abuse, titled Price
02:16of a Mistake. This production was the beginning of the road. The entire team responsible for
02:22the production was composed of inmates, supervised and supported every step of the way by the
02:28Department and its management. This production led the way for other creative TV and radio
02:35productions and concepts. After these quality productions, using good equipment provided
02:53by the Department, the development team started thinking about providing a host for these
02:58productions, in order to reach all inmates in the institution. Thus came the brilliant
03:08idea to establish the Inmate Channel, probably a first of its kind within the region, and
03:15provide inmates with a complete in-house channel that also doubles as a window for inmates
03:20to learn more about their duties and responsibility within their incarceration period in the institution.
03:26Ideas are exchanged and debated daily regarding the type and contents of programs that will be
03:40produced and or shown on the Inmate Channel. A unique concept and approach to benefit from
03:53the creative energy and efforts of inmates, a unique way to dispel frustration and anger
03:59and create positive energy from within difficult surroundings and circumstances, resulting
04:04in expressing themselves in a creative and responsible manner. Thus, expressing themselves
04:27and their capabilities through a creative icon designed and executed by the inmates
04:33for the inmates, stressing the humanity of all involved.