A teacher who was jailed in Dubai in a drug-related case later opened a successful cake business using decorative techniques she had learned in prison, Brigadier Jameela Al Zaabi said. The former director of Dubai Police’s women’s prison recounted the case on the Arab Cast podcast, hosted by Ahmed Al Zarouni.
She shared a personal view of how courses, paid work and fixed routines are used at the institution, while making it clear that being in custody still means the loss of freedom.
Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.
Turning point
The woman had been teaching in a Gulf country, Al Zaabi said. During a stopover in Dubai while travelling from her home country, she was arrested after a man she knew had persuaded her to carry pills, telling her they were for headaches.
The former director described the woman as devastated by the contrast between her former job and her imprisonment. Al Zaabi quoted the woman as saying, ”I used to teach generations. Now I have ended up here in prison.”
In prison, she took courses and began doing handicrafts and decorative work. Al Zaabi said the woman converted to Islam and memorised about 15 parts of the Quran.
She recalled that the teacher had been sentenced to around 10 years and was released after serving approximately four and a half because of her good conduct and Quran study.
After leaving the UAE, the woman kept in touch and sent photographs of the cake shop she had opened with her sister.
She adapted the decorative craft technique to decorate cakes later the shop became well known and found a strong customer base.
The work had given the former inmate a way to support herself, Al Zaabi said. Vocational opportunities at Dubai’s women’s prison were also reported in 2018, when workshops included crafts, tailoring and decorative design.
An honest living
Speaking about the women’s prison during her tenure, Al Zaabi said days had set windows for meals and exercise, followed by time in which inmates could enrol in a course or pursue a craft. Some also took on jobs and received wages in cash, she said.
Inmates making handicrafts or other products received a share when their work was sold, according to Al Zaabi. She said some chose sewing or crochet. The arrangement was intended to familiarise participants with earning an honest living.
The jobs did not include general cleaning of the prison, she added. A company carried out that work; inmates were responsible only for the area around their own beds.
Gym routine
Al Zaabi also told of an unnamed former female inmate whom she described as a fashion influencer. The woman said after her release she had lost weight while regularly using the prison gym, prompting calls from people who asked whether they could come in to lose weight too.
However, Al Zaabi emphasised the constraint that defines prison life, saying, “There is nothing more precious than freedom.”