released prisoners specially chosen for their artistic abilities are working with local artists to bring life back to some 620 sculptures and decorative objects on Jeddah's Corniche. The group, who returned to society only a week ago, began at the southern Corniche Thursday, where they set to work on works of art some of which are over 30 years old. Bahjat Hammouh, head of Trees and Gardens at the Jeddah Mayor's Office, said his department had worked with prison authorities to assign a team to the task. “I took a look at the work the prisoners did during the course of their prison terms which showed that they had particular talents and were able to do a professional job,” Hammouh said. He said that ten Saudi artists were drafted in as consultants on maintenance and cleaning work on the sculptures, and to suggest solutions to problems such as unwanted graffiti. Saudi artist Abdul Hafidh Al-Ghamdi of the Higher Institute of Arts and Crafts said the institute had been working for the last two years to help artistically-minded prisoners improve their talents and learn a useful craft for when they complete their sentences. “The prison authorities have made great efforts to find employment for inmates after release,” he said. “The first group, consisting mostly of young guys under 25, have managed to find work with pay of at least 3,000 riyals a month.”
