Prisons Dept takes up rehabilitation of habitual offenders

Hyderabad: The Telangana Prisons Department is trying to make the Telangana state crime free society, informed Director General of Prisons & Correctional Services V.K. Singh on Friday.

To this end, Singh said that the Prisons Department has prepared a list of 958 habitual offenders from all over Telangana State who have become a menace to the society. "We are of the view that if these habitual offenders are rehabilitated and reclaimed from the world of crime, we can make Telangana State completely free from crime," he said.

For this purpose, the Prisons Department has formed 31 Correctional Services team to provide aftercare services to all these habitual offenders who have mostly joined the life of crime because of illiteracy, poverty, broken family, bad company and mishandling by law enforcement forces including Prisons and Police. "Our correctional services teams have the mandate to contact all these habitual offenders, note their grievances and special needs and pursue with various support agencies to help them in standing on their own feet and return to normal life. As it is our experience, it is a very difficult task and a new field for the Department of Prisons and Correctional Services. Prisons Department, Telangana State is the first in India and one of the first in the world who have started these innovative programmes," he said.

Out of 958 habitual offenders, the department has contacted 734 habitual offenders, out of which 65 have asked for job and 4 have asked for loan. One of the habitual offenders wanted medical treatment. Out of these 958 habitual offenders, 137 are still in judicial custody in different jails. "We are also contacting them to know their problems and special needs. We have provided jobs to four of them. We are seriously trying to provide proper jobs to others so that they can sustain themselves. 527 released offenders are not interested in any work. They are self-employed in various activities like auto-driving, mechanic shop, petty professions, agriculture etc., We have to be on our toes to keep them under our eyes so that they could not do anything wrong," he said.

The most serious thing is that 207 of them are traceless without any permanent or temporary addresses. These hardcore criminals are highly dangerous and floating menace. We have specially requested the Police to provide addresses and location of these criminals so that we could pursue with them and rehabilitate them, the DG said.

"Prisons Department has taken upon itself the stupendous task of rehabilitating all the criminals which seems to be insurmountable but I am of firm belief that with the help of the Police Department and the Government, we will be able to solve this problem and make the society of Telangana State crime free one," Singh said.