Jailed violence

As if we did not have a tough enough struggle keeping militancy under check, it seems that jails scattered across the country are serving as breeding grounds for militants. Given the overcrowding in jails, dangerous militants invariably end up being incarcerated with ordinary criminals — many of them young and highly impressionable. According to a report in this newspaper, intelligence agencies have found that when these prisoners are released, they are swiftly scooped up by terrorist organisations, who keep in touch over mobile phones with their operatives in jails. Corruption on the part of jail staff means prisoners can easily obtain phones. Calls tapped by agencies say the recruitment of militants in this fashion is not unusual. In view of these findings, a proposal to set up separate jails for militants is reportedly being given some serious thought.

Militants are often the best trained and most educated members of prisons. They also have links with an elaborate support networks in the form of their organisations. This places them in an ideal position to lure others to their cause. The best educated — such as Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh convicted in  the Daniel Pearl case — have been known to win over their jailers as well.

Under the circumstances, the suggestion that separate jails be set up seems wise. We hope this will happen. But on a wider level, the report about the goings-on in jail is a reminder that more attention needs to be given to reforming ordinary criminals, rather than merely detaining them. This holds especially true of younger criminals jailed for petty crimes. If militants can mould their minds, perhaps other forces can reshape them, and help transform them into useful members of society. Rehabilitation should be the focal purpose behind decisions to imprison people. This, too, should be thought about as part of any new strategy on jails.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 24^th, 2011.