Punjab struggles to find space for juvenile offenders

Child inmates and rights activists alike complain of mistreatment, lack of rehabilitation

LAHORE:

Those with means, be those monetary or just knowing the right person, posting bail is nothing but a minor inconvenience but for juvenile prisoners, who are often from disadvantaged backgrounds, posting bail is an unattainable dream.

The problem is further exacerbated, in Punjab’s context which has a dearth of adequate juvenile holding facilities; resultantly, the young offenders are forced to live in close proximity with adult prisoners which ruins their chances at a normal life after prison even further.

According to a document obtained by The Express Tribune there are currently 599 children in 43 jails of Punjab out of which 480 are under trial while 119 are convicted. Asher Hafeez, who hails from Faisalabad and was just released after serving a four year sentence for a burglary, while talking to The Express Tribune said that the whole rehabilitation process inside the jails was a façade.

“Juvenile prisoners who want to repent and turn over a new leaf are not given a fair chance.” When asked how they were not given a fair chance, Hafeez said that many of his fellow young inmates wanted to study but there were only two teachers available. “Moreover, those who wanted help with their trauma were barely provided any help. There was only one psychologist who would see us after months on end.” Syeda Farah Hashmi, who heads a local non-governmental organisation working for the rights of juvenile prisoners, concurred with Hafeez’s assessment of the youth languishing in jails.

“If they cannot be housed in juvenile detention centres at the very least the government should house them in a different environment to protect them,” Hashmi said. She was of the view that it was frustrating that not even one correctional facility has been set up inside jails to rehabilitate children and deter them from a life of crime.

Out of the two Borstal and Juvenile Jails in Punjab, only the one in Bahawalpur is still functioning while the one in Faisalabad was shut down. The Bahawalpur youth detention centre has just 89 detainees but still the rehabilitation process is not up to the mark. Professor Dr Naveed Akbar Hotiana, a paediatric psychiatrist based in Lahore, says that inadequate rehabilitation facilities have drastic consequences for children. “If they are not given good counselling by licensed individuals, they will turn to a life of crime again once they are out.

It is a tragedy that we do not pay attention to this issue.” However, Barrister Noshab Ali Khan, does not think the matter is as black and white as rehabilitating juvenile offenders. “Often these children have committed petty offences and yet they are held for months and sometimes years. Why is posting bail a luxury for these children? Why are they even sent to jail in the first place? By sending them to jail, we put them into direct contact with hardened criminals and effectively ruin their life,” an irate Khan said. Additional Chief Secretary Punjab Home Department, Syed Ali Murtaza, when asked about the plight of juvenile offenders and them being held unfairly, denied reports of mistreatment.

“In Punjab we have declared children’s jails as juvenile homes. The children who come here are given better facilities than ordinary prisons.” When asked about exposing the children to adult criminals, an adamant Murtaza, said that this was just hearsay. “Adult and child inmates are not housed in the same quarters. They have different holdings cells,” Murtaza told The Express Tribune.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 2^nd, 2022.