THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The six-month pilot project of the state’s out-of-jail reformatory programme for undertrial prisoners, Nervazhi’ project, has been rolled out in Pathanamthitta, Kollam, Kannur and Wayanad.
Under the project, an undertrial prisoner charged for a non-serious offence will be allowed to lead a normal existence – to be with his/her family at home and work and earn like any other non-offender - under strict though relatively non-intrusive scrutiny.
Welfare officers are interviewing each undertrial prisoners in the four districts to assess their eligibility for probation. “Only those approved by the welfare officers will be granted the benefit,” senior probation officer Subair said.
According to the state government’s figures, there are nearly 3500 among the total 4800 undertrials in the state’s 47 prisons who could potentially be reformed through this non-incarceration process.
Such a system of provisional freedom for those convicted has long been mandated by law, through the Probation of Offenders’ Act, 1958. Nonetheless, even the judiciary is unaware of such a system now and there are just three or four persons doing probation in each district.
A series of workshops have been charted for stakeholders like the police, judiciary and lawyers in October. A two-day workshop for Social Justice Department’s probation officers, women protection officers, ICDS programme officers and welfare officers of the southern region concluded here on Tuesday.
A few beneficiaries of the probation system were presented during the workshop. One of them was a KSRTC driver who was once convicted by a lower court for eloping with a girl less than 18 years old.
Though his name figured in two PSC lists, his conviction had rendered him ineligible for the jobs. Finally, at the intervention of the High Court, he was sent on probation. During the non-institutional phase such disqualifications do not apply and he managed to secure the driver’s job.
