THE Yellow Ribbon campaign is not aimed at reducing an offender's sentence but rather to ease his or her transition into society.
Fiji Correction Service's Assistant Commissioner Operations Sairusi Gauna made the comments during the department's Yellow Ribbon Program (YRP) awareness at Tamavua-i-wai early this week
The YRP, he said, was merely a vehicle to create awareness in giving offenders a second chance in life after serving their time.
FCS spokeswoman Ana Tamani said Tamavua-i-wai was a targeted red-zone area of the department because crimes were prevalent in that area.
"Most of the offenders we have in our custody are from Tamavua-i-wai," she said. "This is why we're targeting it along with other red-zone communities for our YRP awareness."
Ms Tamani said the message remained the same that prison life was a waste of time and there was nothing glamorous about it.
YRP co-ordinator Jale Vosadrau said there was no such thing as a bad person, just wrong choices and decisions that influenced a person's life.
FCS director corporate services Peniasi Kunatuba challenged the community to assist offenders so that they were able to adapt into society when they returned home.
"We need the support of the church, the vanua and the families in this massive task because the stigma associated with imprisonment is too immense," he said.