Ahmedabad: Need to rehabilitate 90% of prisoners, says Union home minister Amit Shah

AHMEDABAD: Speaking at the inauguration of the 6th All India Prison Duty Meet in Ahmedabad on Sunday, Union home minister Amit Shah said that it is imperative to rehabilitate about 90% of prisoners in the country. He said that the task is vital not only from a humanitarian point of view but also to ensure law and order.
Stating that the process of punishment is very important, Shah added that it is also the responsibility of the jail administration to rehabilitate a person who is not a criminal by nature or habit. The three-day meet has been organized by the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) in association with the state government. The Union home minister said prison administrators will benefit from the exchanges on successful projects.
Shah said the BPR&D is creating a common programme across the country on many topics and aspects related to internal security and the security of India's borders. He said jail administration is important to internal security of the country. There is a need to change the way prisons are seen by society, he said.
The Union home minister said that the government will soon introduce a Model Jail Act, which will bring about the necessary changes in the act which has been in place since the British era. "The draft is being discussed extensively with the states and the act will be introduced in the coming months," he said.
Apart from modernizing prisons by equipping them with technology, it is important to make arrangements for the well-being of prisoners, the minister said. He suggested building libraries for prisoners and rehabilitating them by providing a range of training and educational programmes; establishing good hospitals in jails; and starting mental development initiatives.