Dubai police assistance for inmates’ families covers rent, school privacy and reunions

Former director of Dubai Police’s women’s prison, Brigadier Jameela Al Zaabi, has outlined a range of support measures available to the families of inmates, from help with rent and school fees to discreet schooling arrangements for children.

Speaking on the ArabCast podcast with host Ahmed Al Zarouni, Al Zaabi detailed cases from her time at the facility, illustrating the practical and emotional work involved in maintaining family ties during a prison sentence.

Support for families

According to Al Zaabi, families of inmates in Dubai may be considered for assistance with rent and children’s school fees when household circumstances warrant it. The support is assessed on a case-by-case basis and is not an automatic benefit. The stated aim, she said, is to prevent a prison sentence from causing hardship for relatives outside the facility.

A Humanitarian Care unit evaluates an inmate’s needs upon admission. The unit compiles a file that includes the family’s situation, including whether children are in school. A committee then decides whether to approve help with rent or fees.

Al Zaabi noted that the committee can refuse assistance if it concludes the circumstances were deliberately created to obtain benefits. “You are not here to punish his family; you are here to reform him so that he benefits his family,” she said, explaining the principle behind the family support system.

Protecting children’s privacy

Al Zaabi also recalled arrangements designed to allow children of female inmates to attend private school without being singled out. Under the arrangement, children began their education path at around age four.

Instead of using a school bus that might reveal where they lived, staff used a dedicated car. Nannies accompanied the children into school and carried their bags. “The car had neither police number plates nor a police logo,” Al Zaabi said, describing how staff protected the children’s privacy.

The former director said the intention was to ensure children did not feel different from their classmates because a parent was in prison.

The legal framework sets a specific boundary for younger children. Federal Decree-Law No. 34 of 2024 permits an inmate to keep her newborn with her until the child reaches age two. After that age, the child is handed to a person entitled to custody or care, or placed in a care home if that is not possible. The mother must be informed of the child’s whereabouts and allowed regular contact.

Reuniting families after years

Al Zaabi recounted the case of a woman who had transported drugs after being offered money, using an advance to pay rent before travelling to Dubai. She had left her daughter with a friend abroad and was sentenced to about 10 years, Al Zaabi said.

After the initial shock of her sentence, the mother tried to contact the friend but found the phones disconnected. Following several years of efforts, diplomatic contacts facilitated by Dubai Police indicated that the friend had taken the girl to a children’s home. That institution later closed and the children were moved elsewhere. “I do not want anything, I just want to know where my daughter is,” Al Zaabi quoted the mother as saying.

In a separate case, Al Zaabi said a woman serving a lengthy sentence had not seen her mother and father for about 14 years before entering prison. Staff contacted the parents and brought them to the facility without telling their daughter. The woman was called before a manager, expecting to be told off, then saw her parents enter. “She became a child again in the embrace of her mother and father,” Al Zaabi shared, recalling the surprise reunion.