Prison reforms need of the hour: DGP : The Tribune India

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Prison reforms need of the hour: DGP

SHIMLA: Composite training in accordance with international manual is the need of the hour to bring about reforms in the Prisons Department, says Director General (Prisons and Correctional Services) Somesh Goyal who led the four-member Indian delegation at the five-day 38th Asian and Pacific Conference of Correctional Administration (APCCA) held recently in Malaysia.



Bhanu P Lohumi

Tribune News Service

Shimla, September 21

Composite training in accordance with international manual is the need of the hour to bring about reforms in the Prisons Department, says Director General (Prisons and Correctional Services) Somesh Goyal who led the four-member Indian delegation at the five-day 38th Asian and Pacific Conference of Correctional Administration (APCCA) held recently in Malaysia.

“Unlike India, where prison is a state subject, it is a federal service in most of the Asian countries and the training manual is of very high quality and the duration of training is longer as the recruits are apprised of the psychological aspects for the criminals”, he told The Tribune adding that there are Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for all activities and everything is documented, which comes handy in times of emergency. Though a majority of the Asian countries are following British or Indian Acts, they have taken a lead in modernisation of prison complexes, recruitment of staff with segregation of watch, ward and correctional staff and adopted a multidisciplinary approach with social welfare, industries departments and NGOs working hand in hand with the prison department.

Community service and fine plays a vital role as punitive punishment before sending the offenders to jails as imprisonment for minor offences acts as a stigma.

“It should be remembered that by becoming a criminal, the jail inmates do not cease to be human and India can teach to the world how to treat prisoners with compassion” Goyal said. The rehabilitation programmes of Himachal Prisons Department, especially the initiative of “Har hath ko kaam” and opening of Book Café run by inmates at Takka Bench on Ridge, were appreciated.

“Visiting a prison in Malaka was an eye opener as the security was censor based with digital doors”, said Goyal. In Australia, the Prisons Department trains the prisoners as per the need of the industry and the government supports the industries being run in the jails by buying the produce. There is a great potential in India also if the government takes such initiatives, he said.

Members of 29 Asian countries deliberated on themes like challenges and initiatives in correctional services, training issues, preventing, detecting and managing alcohol and drug abuse in prisoners, handling extremists and organised gangs and threat of radicalisation. Developing assessment tools to improve classification management and rehabilitation of prisoners, problems of overcrowding and role of community service were also discussed.

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