The Maine Department of Corrections (DOC) will be launching a prison rehabilitation program specifically tailored for Muslim inmates, aimed at minimizing the risk of the inmates being drawn to Islamist and extremist worldviews.

The program, called Prison-Based Interventions for Muslim Offenders (PRIMO), will be funded by a taxpayer-funded grant of $22,900 from the State of Maine to Cardiff University (U.K.).

Cardiff University ran an initial pilot of PRIMO in the U.K. last year, and are now “looking to expand their program to the United States,” according to a no-bid contract request issued by the Mills administration on Monday.

“The goal of the program is to maximize the rehabilitative effects of practicing Islam in prison and to minimize the existential risks of that religious choice, including being drawn to Islamist and Extremist Worldviews,” wrote Samuel Prawer, grant coordinator for the Maine DOC.

“Prison Chaplains and Correctional Officers are typically under-trained regarding the
Muslim faith and therefore under-equipped to address the specific needs of that population,” Prawer wrote.

“This forward-thinking program aligns well with the philosophy behind Maine Model of Corrections and this collaboration presents an opportunity for our department to build a rehabilitative model tailored towards our Muslim population,” he added.

PRIMO is comprised of three educational courses for prisoners, correctional officers, and prison chaplains.

Cardiff University describes the program as “using the Qur’anic idea of the Muslim Steward who cares for himself, others and the environment as the core ideal of Muslim personhood for these courses.”

As part of the grant, the State of Maine will pay for the Cardiff University PRIMO program staff’s lodging expenses, and reimburse the flight back to the U.K. for one member of their staff, as well as their meals and incidental expenses.

According to the Maine DOC, the long-term goal is to eventually develop similar programs for inmates of other faiths.