The Hindu : Front Page : Adolescent offenders to be shifted

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Friday, Sep 12, 2008
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Adolescent offenders to be shifted

R. Rajaram

From Pudukottai Borstal School to Ariyalur and Thanjavur

Latest move will reduce overcrowding in Pudukottai school
Offenders will be shifted to the Borstal School concerned depending on the place of trial

TIRUCHI: With the sub jails at Ariyalur and Thanjavur in the Central Region being declared as Borstal Schools, to accommodate “pre-conviction” adolescent offenders, the Prisons Department will soon shift a group of such offenders to these places from the Borstal School at Pudukottai.

About 75 adolescent offenders would shortly be shifted to Thanjavur and Ariyalur once the adult remand prisoners lodged in sub jails in the above mentioned places were moved out to the nearest sub jail or Central Prison.

The move follows the Government Order declaring the Special Subsidiary Jail at Nanguneri and the sub jails at Melur, Thanjavur, Ariyalur, Pollachi, Paramathi, Panruti, Gingee, Gudiyatham and Saidapet as Borstal Schools to accommodate adolescent offenders in the age group 16-23 years.

Consequent to this direction, over 120 adolescent offenders who were detained at the Pudukottai Borstal School have already been shifted to Nanguneri, Melur and Paramathi over the past few days. Prison Department authorities told The Hindu that the rest of the around 110 adolescent offenders would be shifted from Pudukottai to different Borstal Schools shortly as and when the adult remand prisoners lodged in the above mentioned sub jails were shifted either to the nearest sub jail or the Central Prison.

Ever since it started functioning from 1968, the Pudukottai Borstal School had been accommodating both pre-conviction and convicted adolescent offenders.

The shifting of adolescent offenders to various places would substantially reduce over crowding in the Pudukottai school, functioning within the District Jail campus, say Prison officials.

The offenders would be shifted to the Borstal School concerned depending on the place of trial. For instance, an offender facing trial in a court at Tuticorin would be moved to the Nanguneri Borstal School. The time taken to escort them to longer destinations would also get substantially reduced in the wake of this move, the authorities say.

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