The prisoners' association Mid-Dlam ghad-Dawl has welcomed a sharp decline in prices at the prison tuck shop.

It said the need to reduce prices was one of the calls it had made in a memorandum to political parties before the general election.

It noted, as an example, that the price of bottled water has been reduced from 51c to 35c. The difference in other prices ranged from 2c to 90c.

This and other initiatives were a good augury that the prisons could one day truly become a correctional facility, the NGO said.