REFORMATION OF PRISONERS

'Kerala holds the highest crime rate in India with 1980.01'.  This was a report in the Deccan Chronicle in 2016. Despite being numero uno in literacy the state became top in crime too.  According to available information, crime rate in Indian states in 2017-18, Kerala tops the list with 455/1,00,000. MP is the second with 298, Tamil Nadu 294, Assam 250 and the last in the list is Nagaland with 47.  Further to this there has been a steady increase in crimes committed against children in Kerala according to a data released by the Kerala State Crime Records Bureau. Till October 2018 total number of crimes registered towards offences committed against children in Kerala stands at 3,278.

While the police force of the state is doing commendable efforts to register the crime and nab the culprits well within the time, the crime rate is steeply rising. There may be a good number of reason to quote in support of this argument. However, punishment to the criminals is the key factor that encourages or discourages the crime rate. The prevalent practice of punishment is sending the criminals to the prison for a given period of time. At least in the case of a good number of inmates of prisons in Kerala, do not have much to complain. It is fairly ok for them. At present the prisons are not at all a place for reformation of the habitual offenders. We must find something  that can reform the criminals.

In every society, the first name that can mend a person is God. Hence religion is the first option to change a person and, therefore, the religious priests can be used as the mentors or guides for these criminals. It is submitted, therefore, for the consideration of the government and top police officials.

Let the crime records bureau of the state publish the number of persons admitted into the prisons every month. The crime committed by them may be shown in a broad category like murder, theft, domestic violence, sex related crimes, narcotics related crimes, economic offence, anti national activities etc. These persons come under which religion may also be indicated, so that their respective religious leaders can come to the prison and give proper counselling. All religious leaders shall be constrained to ensure that there should be less criminals in their respective  religions. They will certainly do their best to reform their people. When leaders of all religions come out to refine their own people in the prisons of Kerala we can certainly find reformation of more and more criminals. This will be a result oriented free service. In their place if we use psychologists or sociologists against payments for their service the result will not be so appreciable.

Let us do this as a trial for the time being before this becomes a routine affair.

KV George