BANGALORE: The Government has implemented a novel programme to rehabilitate life convicts who have been released. As part of Suvarna Karnataka celebrations, as many as 309 life convicts, who have completed varying prison terms, were released on compassionate grounds on August 15.

The exercise aims at providing them gainful employment and ensuring that they lead a contented life which would prevent a repeat of the crimes for which they served their sentences.

Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, as part of the Janata Darshan, which he conducts on Saturdays to personally redress public grievances, recently handed over cheques to four former life convicts in Bangalore and to eight others during a trip to Mysore.

Home Minister M.P. Prakash did a similar thing for those ex-convicts released from the Bellary prison. It was also a rare gesture on the part of the Chief Minister to have a meal with the convicts at the prison on the day of their release.

Of the 309 prisoners, 257 have been identified as those who require rehabilitation. The others, who apparently landed in the Central Prison owing to certain compulsions, said that they were capable of taking care of their requirements.

Additional Director General of Prisons S.T. Ramesh, who has initiated the programme of prison reforms and rehabilitation of the life prisoners being released from jails, told The Hindu here on Sunday that a quick socio-economic survey conducted by the prison authorities in August last (a few days prior to the release of identified life convicts) had revealed that most of them could get into a life of penury once they were out of jail. An aptitude test of sorts was conducted and each life convict asked for a limited support to join the mainstream of society.

The rehabilitation programme initiated by the Prisons Department, which has drawn the attention of the authorities in several States, has been implemented virtually on a no-cost basis. The department has taken the lead in bringing together various government corporations to provide the required financial assistance for the ex-convicts.

Officials of the Karnataka State Backward Classes Development Corporation, the Karnataka Minorities Development Corporation, the Karnataka Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation and several other corporations connected with the welfare of women and children have been roped in to provide assistance to the ex-convicts under various schemes.

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