Yellow Ribbon Walk to be held in the Western Division for the first time ever

The Yellow Ribbon Walk will be held in the Western Division for the first time this year because of the increase in a number of people that have been incarcerated in the Lautoka Corrections Centre.

Fiji Corrections Service Director Rehabilitation, Salote Panapasa says from January to September this year there have been 404 new convictions in Lautoka and this is one of the highest admissions.

Panapasa says 77% of those admissions from the west were given 12 months and below.

She says through their monitoring process, they have found out the 7 inmates who have been discharged in the last two years from Lautoka returned to prison and this is the current recidivism rate in the west.

Panapasa says since the launch of the Yellow Ribbon project in 2008 the annual event has been held in Suva.

She says they have a lot of people that have served their time in prison and have become a changed person because of the Yellow Ribbon program.

The Deputy Commissioner of Corrections, Senior Superintendent Apimeleki Taukei says they are requesting the involvement of people from Nadi, Lautoka, and Ba during the Yellow Ribbon Walk.

The Yellow Ribbon Walk which is scheduled for next Saturday will commence at 5.30am from Churchill Park.

Four buses will be provided for participants and will conduct pick-ups from Lautoka and Nadi.

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