THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Former DGP (Prisons) Alexander Jacob has said protecting the human rights of prisoners had helped transform them through correctional measures.
Delivering the ninth G Rajesh Kumar memorial lecture at the Thiruvananthapuram Press Club here on Wednesday, he said despite widespread criticism against his efforts to ensure human rights of prisoners, he went ahead with bringing in more facilities as he was convinced of the positive results of such welfare measures. He said jails should not be considered as a place to harass the convicts.
Jacob pointed out that ever since the welfare activities were initiated in jails, there has been a sharp fall in the rate of convicts returning to crime and thereby coming back to the jails again.
“Out of the 1,000 convicts who get released from jail on completing the jail term only 10 are now returning to the jails after committing another crime. In the past, 70 percent of the convicts had returned to jails after committing similar crimes. Correctional measures will help restore the humane side of prisoners,” he said.
He said reforms like providing educational assistance to the children of convicts and sending `3,000 per month from the wages of the prisoners to their families have ensured that their families were not resorted to crimes for survival. Introduction of food production units, vocational training, facilities to continue education and providing facilities like library and television helped change the mindset of convicts who landed in jail under unfortunate circumstances, he said.