Rashid is serving three years for beating a child RELATED VIDEO CNN's Anita Pratap reports on the unusual prison system in Maldives Windows Media 28K 56K

DHARAVANDU ISLAND, Maldives (CNN) -- Ahmed Rashid could easily be mistaken for a construction worker on this scenic tropical island some 400 miles southwest of Sri Lanka in the deep blue Indian Ocean.

But Rashid is a prisoner, serving a three-year sentence in exile for beating up a child. He is one of more than 800 convicts serving their banishment on the countless islands that form the Republic of Maldives.

"This form of punishment is good. If I was jail, I would have been confined to an isolated cell. Here on the island I am quite free. I can meet people, and my family can visit me," he said.

In exchange for food and shelter, Rashid does odd jobs for a local family. During the day, he labors under the hot sun with fellow convicts to build a community center.

Tropical sunlight reflects off the blue water surrounding Rashid's island prison

"The system of punishment helps to rehabilitate the prisoners, it saves the government the cost of accommodating them, and as long as the government keeps the number of convicts small on each island, there is no problem," said Island Chief Syed Ali.

Maldives President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom was himself banished to a small island in 1973 for criticizing the president then in office.

Although Gayoom admits the system is lenient, vast stretches of ocean around the isolated islands have made escape near impossible.

For prisoners such as Rashid, the only real punishment is separation from his family, which makes his three-year sentence seem more like 12 years, he said.

Correspondent Anita Pratap contributed to this report.