Govt designates Pulwama jail as ‘correctional home’

Kashmir Times. Dated: 9/24/2017 5:17:23 PM

SRINAGAR, Sep 23 (Agencies): To dissuade young stone pelters from picking guns or getting brainwashed inside the prisons, the Jammu and Kashmir government has designated a jail in south Kashmir as “correctional home” where young stone pelters or youths involved in other crimes will be rehabilitated and counseled so that they won’t join militancy after their release. There have been many instances in the past when young boys who were picked up by the police in the cases of stone pelting and protests were kept in various jails and after their release they picked up guns.
Director General of Police (Prisons) S K Mishra told reporters that Pulwama jail has been designated as the ‘Correctional Home’ for youth who are lodged in various jails in the state. “We have already shifted 20 young prisoners to this jail where they will be given training of different vocational courses and will also be counseled by the experts and officers.” Mishra said the government is in the process of shifting all young boys or youths to this particular jail. “This will be a different jail where you will have all sort of facilities like sports facility, newspapers, television. The aim is that youth who are arrested in different cases should get proper counseling, learn some vocational training and should remain away from hardcore persons serving detention,” he said, adding that Pulwama jail will different from other jails in the state.
“In exercise of the power conferred by para 2.37 read with para 2.8 of the Manual of the Superintendence and Management of Jails in the state of Jammu and Kashmir (2000), the government hereby classifies district jail Pulwama notified vide notification SRO-211 dated 17.4.2013 as a ‘special jail’ (correctional home) for the purpose of providing correctional services to the inmates,” reads the order issued by Principal secretary Home, R K Goyal.
Close to this correctional home, the J&K government is also planning to construct a new juvenile home for minors. On Sunday, during a tour to the Pulwama district, J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti had said that a new juvenile centre will be established in Pulwama on government land.
Recently, during a security review meeting in Srinagar, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said that kids below the age of 18 will be treated in accordance with the Juvenile Act and not like criminals. “Kids below the age of 18 should not be treated like criminals; whatever investigation needs to be done it must be in accordance with juvenile act. They must not be sent to prison, must be sent to juvenile homes,” he told the media.
Government has been under pressure from various quarters for creating different setup for young boys who are being picked by the police and then sent to jail or juvenile homes. The officials said that setting up of this special jail is aimed at rehabilitation of young boys.

 

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