THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A person who commits a crime due to circumstances should be provided proper avenues for reformation, Social Justice Minister R Bindu has said. Inaugurating the Probation Day fortnight observance at the Vellar Crafts Village in Thiruvananthapuram, the minister said the convicts should be able to repent for their actions and detach themselves from crime through proper social rehabilitation.
The Probation Day will be observed from November 15, the birthday of legal luminary Justice V R Krishna Iyer, for a fortnight. The social justice department has planned a slew of programmes, including seminars and panel discussions, in association with the Kerala State Legal Services Authority, judiciary and law enforcement agencies.
“We should be able to detach offenders from crime and transform them into responsible social beings. All possible changes in the existing systems that will help realise this objective should be effected,” she said.
The Probation Day observance aims to promote good behaviour among convicts, expand alternatives to imprisonment, improve the life of convicts and ensure their rehabilitation. The government decided to observe the birthday of V R Krishna Iyer as Probation Day in 2019 to strengthen the probation system in the state and ensure better coordination between the courts, prisons, police and prosecution.