Persons jailed on charges of sex offences will find things changing for them in the prisons of Telangana, where authorities are working out on a plan to focus on sex offenders, especially child rapists. Telangana State prisons to treat rapists on a par with terrorists.
The plan is not just to segregate them, lodge them in special cells along with notorious criminals and provide psychological treatment, but also to treat them on par with terrorists and their ilk.
“We have decided to focus on them. Rape cases are very sensitive in nature. Unfortunately, they have become frequent these days. Focus will be them, especially, those who rape children, since they are perverts and cannot be normal human beings,” VK Singh, Director General of Prisons and Correctional Services said, adding that they had to be segregated and given special treatment apart from counseling.
Earlier, sex offenders were lodged along with other ordinary prisoners, sometimes with those who committed crimes that were not as grave in nature.
“Now, we will treat and keep them all on par with terrorists, Maoists and others convicted of heinous offences. They will be segregated and henceforth not kept along with ordinary prisoners,” Singh said.
All the rapists, particularly convicts lodged in different prisons across the State will be shifted to one place, either the Central Prison in Cherlapally or Chanchalguda and treated as per the plan.
The authorities then want to take help of psychiatrists and psychologists, as they assume these offenders suffer from mental illness and specific psychological disorders. “These mental health experts will check their health issues and provide counselling. They also will assess the problem and treat them. Necessary treatment will be given, either medication or counselling,” Singh said.
Officials said psychological help will be provided to under-trial prisoners too, though they would not be shifted to Chanchalguda or Cherlapally. “We are bringing the convicts to one prison as it will be convenient for us to monitor and focus on them. We want to inject realisation in the minds of such prisoners on the ghastliness of their crime and repent, reform and not to attempt to repeat such crimes in future,” Singh said, adding that teams were already on the job to check the total number of prisoners who were convicted in rape cases. #KhabarLive
