Daily Times

Sir: It is often heard that criminals continue to commit crimes even after their first encounters with the justice system. The obvious reasons are resentment towards society and the resulting contempt for the law. Other causes are the bad company they acquire during the time they spend in prison and their need for money.

The prison system usually exacerbates the problem because of the degradation and humiliation faced by prisoners. These offenders often build deep hatred towards the authorities, and see their crimes as an act of rebellion. In their minds, they are fighting a war against the law.

Furthermore, once criminals have served their prison sentences, they are often shunned by society and the people around them leaving them no choice but to rebel again.

People are also unlikely to offer convicts job. Eventually they get so discouraged that they stop looking for legitimate employment. The constant pressure of providing for oneself and family eventually leads convicts back to crime, even if they left prison with good intentions.

It is important to support convicts for the betterment of society. They should be given all the assistance they require, including technical and vocational training. They should be professionally guided on how to create a new, better identity of themselves as productive members’ of society. Furthermore, governments should also focus on the rehabilitation of criminals rather than punishment.

The prison guards and other authorities should not degrade, belittle or abuse them while they are serving their sentences. The government should also take steps to reduce poverty and provide basic resources so the impoverished members of society don’t feel that they have to turn to crime to survive.

SANIA SHOAIB

Karachi

Published in Daily Times, June 20^th 2018.