Kerala: Rehab for women jail inmates on anvil

KOLLAM: The Kerala Women’s Commission and jails department jointly plans to roll out a new initiative for the welfare of women convicts who are released after their jail term. A seminar conducted on the topic ‘rehabilitation and social order of women who complete jail term’ at the Kollam district jail auditorium here on Friday was the first phase of the plan. R. Sreelekha IPS, jail DGP, who inaugurated the seminar said the government should consider providing them with loans to find a living.

“Currently, those who complete their jail term are given a grant of Rs 15,000 by the social justice department. Some of the banks have recently agreed to pay upto Rs. 20,000 as loan, but at high interest rates. The Government should consider aiding these women with loans along with  the grants,” Ms. Sreelekha added. She also suggested tagging of convicts with microchips so that they could lead a “normal life” in society while, at the same time, they were being tracked and monitored by the authorities.

29 inmates from various jails at Thiruvananthapuram, Kottarakkara, and Mavelikkara  participated in the seminar and shared their concerns on the social stigma faced by them once they were released. The Commission will compile the opinions and suggestions by the inmates to prepare a project report to be submitted to the Government. There are a total of 174 women in various jails across the State.

Shahida Kamal, Women’s Commission member who presided over the function said setting up better social circumstances could improve the life of those who had completed their term. “This topic is one of the major studies by the Women’s Commission. We plan long-term rehabilitation by providing them with better conditions to be self-dependent,” Ms. Shahida said.