Reformation and Rehabilitation of Prison Inmates - Personal Statement Example

Personal ment, Macro & Micro Economics Introduction: My intended major is Sociology. All developmental activities will not serve the intended purpose unless we are able to build a peaceful society. An individual is the unit of the society, and just as each brick is important in a structure, peace within the hearts of individuals is necessary for achieving global peace and make the concept of ‘the world is one family’ an attainable reality. ‘Why an individual takes up to the path of crime?’— This issue always bothered me much and I began to make detailed study of sociology of crimes. Reformation and rehabilitation of prison inmates: I was selected to study the conditions in Central Jail Tihar, New Delhi (India) and the amenities available to the jail inmates. I was one among group of 12 college students from different countries chosen by the authorities of the UNESCO Head Office at Paris for a three months study-cum-research project on the subject of “Reformation and Rehabilitation of Prisoners” and I represented the State of Texas, America. India has a huge Jail population, and Tihar is the biggest Jail in India, with an average population of 14000 inmates spread over 13 Jails in different parts of New Delhi. Our first meeting was with the Public Relations Officer of Tihar Administration. He seemed to have read the thought processes going on in the minds of some of us. He gave us, among other literature, a 4 page pamphlet than began with the following quote from Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, which read thus: “Another error which people indulge in is the fear that ‘if jail conditions are improved people will flock in’! This shows a singular ignorance of human nature. No one wants to go to prison however good the prison might be. To be deprived of liberty and family life and friends and home surroundings is terrible thing. It is well known that the Indian peasant will prefer to stick to his ancestral soil and starve rather than go elsewhere to better his condition.” The technological development and the promised benefits of the materialistic civilization, the youngsters from rural areas of India are migrating to the metropolitan cities. This is the problem before many developing countries. Unable to get proper employment, with poor accommodation facilities, they take to the path of crime to get rich quickly. Once they are arrested and land in Jail, they come across many hardened criminals who advise them about the “benefits” of the criminal life. The process of degeneration begins, and this is one of the important reasons for increase in the Jail population. Another stunning revelation was presented before us. Amongst the jail population, the number of actual convicts is just 30% and the rest are under trials. The judicial process is very slow in India and the reasons for that are manifold. On a cursory glance of the literature relating to functioning of the jails, we found that it was due to shortage of the investigating and judicial officers, delay in the submission of the charge sheet and the subsequent hearings take years and the accused remains languished within the four walls of the prison. An unfortunate consequence of the prevailing social and economic conditions in India is the steady increase in the Jail population. Overcrowding in Jails is a serious issue and in some Jails, it is to such an extent, that prisoners sleep in shifts. Gangsters, bride-burners, anti-social elements, petty thieves, and all sorts of criminals are accommodated together, under the brand of under trials. Prisoners are a special kind of humanity and they need individual counselling depending upon the nature of crimes committed by them and as per their mental frame. The next issue is about the judicial process. Those guilty need to be awarded punishment quickly and innocents should not be made to languish in prisons. In the first few days of our study, we interviewed a number of top officials from the prison administration and also volunteers of some NGOs who are engaged in certain welfare initiatives for the prisoners. An NGO official made the following observation. “When a criminal is constantly harassed, ill-treated, judged and detested by the society, one turns into an awful and hostile individual. Even showering pity will not help one. Heartfelt care and concern, an understanding approach, and tender regard for the feelings are necessary prerequisites to heal the inner wounds.” There are genuine difficulties in running a reformation and rehabilitation program in a prison environment. Prison authorities have to cope with many other competing and compelling priorities. But there needs to be a system to oversee the reformation aspect. This is the responsibility of the Government as well as the society. Responsibility of the Society The society needs to forget and forgive the past of the prisoner to help one to build a new identity. The inner-core of every individual is essentially good, even that of the worst villain. It needs to be revealed to him to help him align with his true personality. One's downward march to destruction and negativity can be replaced by an upward march to re-construction and positivity. The origin of violence is due to heterogeneous factors. Some of them are racism, poverty, involvement in gangs, drugs, mental illness, media influences, domestic discord, bio-medical problems and availability/ access to arms and ammunition. Everyone has the right to become a worthy individual and the proud citizen of his country and should be given a chance to mold thus. The managers of the society own the responsibility to open the door to a new realm, a new direction and provide a new lease of life to those who have been entangled in the web of crime. Those who are poor or marginalized turn to violence because it is a means to an end. That is to say, society expects everyone to be victors, but not everyone has the same economic openings. An intensely shattered personality lies with the four walls of the prison and his/her psyche needs constant care. The criminals have great potentialities. They are gutsy individuals. In the absence of proper channelizing of their abilities, they have moved to the wrong track. But if checked and guided well in time, they can become good leaders. Their capacity for hard work is immense and there is something special in them. Upon release or acquittal, one has to restart and rebuild life amidst a society that will not willingly allow the process of assimilation easily. Whether guilty or guilty, the prison stamp shall remain forever on the individual. For the hardcore criminals, prison is the place to plan the next bout of criminal activities, once they are out of the prison. This is the dangerous trend, and such people need to be provided with extensive counseling within the prison-premises, on a regular basis. The pre-conviction period also upsets the prisoner, due to the slow-moving judicial process. Moreover, all laws, just because they are the laws of the land, are not faultless. A controversial law implemented in a worst manner is the ultimate calamity for the prisoner. Such a law, if not amended or withdrawn, quickly, can ruin the delicate social structure based on human relationships. In an unfriendly system of jurisprudence, a prisoner under trial gets physically, emotionally and economically crushed. Conclusion: I have gained immense experience by visiting Tihar Jails, interaction with the jail officials and convicted prisoners who are undergoing their prison terms and prisoners who are under trials. I am convinced that a benevolent approach is needed for reformation and rehabilitation of the prisoners. The details will have to be worked out by the Government and Administrators of concerned countries, taking into considerations the ground realities obtained there. I have also gained a lot from discussions, exchange of notes from members of our research group, and hope to be in touch with them for the purpose in view. Read More