Prisoners’ plight

The prison system of the country is in a hideous state. Jails are overpopulated with prisoners whose rights are blatantly and openly violated. Majority of them are not provided basic provisions while many are viciously tortured. Unfortunately, no serious attempts have been made to bring about proper reforms. The plight of prisoners has often been overlooked by authorities as well as the general public.

The Federal Ombudsman Secretariat has recently revealed that 88,687 prisoners are currently languishing in 116 jails across the country, against a capacity of 65,168. Consequently, in a meeting, the ombudsman directed all provincial chief secretaries to make functional the biometric identifications system, which is to be integrated with all relevant departments, and improve the overall probation and parole system. There are obvious gaping holes in the system, but do the authorities have enough capability to initiate change? This becomes rather difficult if prisons are thought of as punishment cells rather than rehabilitation centres. Yes, prisoners must be punished accordingly but rehabilitation should be of equal importance. Majority of offenders locked up haven’t even committed serious crimes while countless have been awaiting trial for years on petty charges. Prisoners are forced to live in inhumane and unsanitary conditions with improper diet and lack of clean drinking water. Instances of sexual harassment and violence on females is quite common and. Moreover, jails have no special place for children exposing them to hostile environments. If anything, the situation that people go through either completely shatters them or makes them even more hardened.

There is a serious need to promote rehabilitation programmes and post-release services to foster prisoners’ social reintegration. An environment must be created where prisoners are encouraged to develop occupational skills and resolve psychological problems so that they are given a second chance in life. But as a first step, the authorities must provide basic necessities and uphold the dignity and rights of prisoners.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 28^th, 2021.

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