JAILS SHOULD ACT AS REFORMATION CENTRES

Recently there was a report in the newspaper that a person was released from the Central Jail on completion of his conviction period. He was sentenced to imprisonment for lifting a two wheeler. While returning home from the jail, he lifted a two wheeler again and was arrested by the police. Such things are happening quite frequently. It shows that the punishment given could do nothing to reform the convicts. In fact an ordinary criminal is shaped into a harder criminal in our jails by the co-prisoners. If the system is to continue like this, there is no meaning in providing free shelters and food for the criminals. When the people as a whole are bearing this cost they expect that these convicted shall return to the society as harmless ones. It is requested, therefore, to the government to make arrangements for individual meetings of convicts with reputed people who are willing to advise them to move away from crimes. It should be conducted at least 3 days in week. Each convict should have one to one talk in isolation for minimum 30 minutes each time. This should be continued so long as the convict is in the jail. Government need not spend any money for this. There will be people who are willing to offer this service free. There may be retired civil service personnel including senior officials from police, college professors, doctors, sociologists etc may come forward for voluntary service. If properly managed, this will ensure that the convicts retun home on completion of their jail term, will not return as criminals but reformed as true gentlemen.

K V George