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🇫🇯 Fiji /Crime & Justice

Fiji's Yellow Ribbon Program Funding Steady Amid Scrutiny

From FBC News · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Fiji's Yellow Ribbon Program, a rehabilitation framework for ex-inmates, operates with a steady annual budget of $200,000 to $225,000.
  • Actual spending on the program has remained close to allocations, with a gradual increase in financial assistance provided to former inmates through the Ex-Inmates Livelihood Support Fund.
  • Access to support is contingent on completing rehabilitation requirements and having viable livelihood plans approved, aiming to reduce reoffending.

Fiji's Yellow Ribbon Program, designed to aid ex-inmates' reintegration, has maintained a consistent annual budget between $200,000 and $225,000 from 2022 to 2026. Acting Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Siromi Turaga clarified in Parliament that the program is a broad rehabilitation framework, not an enrollment system.

Participation is measured by involvement in various activities, including counseling, vocational training, life-skills development, employment expos, and family engagement, all coordinated with the Fiji Corrections Service. Spending has closely matched funding, with figures ranging from over $185,000 to over $222,000 annually.

The Yellow Ribbon Program is not an inmate enrolment system. It is a wider rehabilitation framework.

— Siromi TuragaActing Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Siromi Turaga clarified the nature of the Yellow Ribbon Program in response to a parliamentary question.

The Ex-Inmates Livelihood Support Fund has seen a steady rise in uptake. In 2021-2022, $37,205 was disbursed to 25 former inmates. This figure grew to $83,936 for 53 individuals in 2023-2024. For the current 2025-2026 financial year, $70,987 has been spent so far from an allocation of $112,500.

Minister Turaga emphasized that assistance is not automatic. It requires former inmates to complete rehabilitation requirements and secure approval for their livelihood plans. The program's core aim is to connect rehabilitation efforts with structured reintegration to effectively reduce the rate of reoffending.

The aim, Turaga say, is to link rehabilitation with structured reintegration and reduce reoffending.

— Siromi TuragaMinister Turaga explained the objective of the Yellow Ribbon Program.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by FBC News in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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