Maharashtra: Dilip Walse Patil approves extension of MoU with TISS for welfare, rehab project for prisoners of 5 central jails

Maharashtra: Dilip Walse Patil approves extension of MoU with TISS for welfare, rehab project for prisoners of 5 central jails

Walse-Patil approves extension of MoU with TISS for legal aid, physical & mental health services and skill development training

Sanjay JogUpdated: Tuesday, December 14, 2021, 09:17 AM IST
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Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil | Photo Credit: PTI

Maharashtra home minister Dilip Walse Patil on Monday approved the signing of MoU between the state government and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences for extended support to implement welfare and rehabilitation schemes for prisoners of five central prisons and one juvenile correctional facility. This will help prisoners get legal aid, physical and mental health services and skill development training. The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Walse-Patil with home department officials and TISS representatives.

The project was implemented from January 2017 to January 2020 on a pilot basis in Nagpur, Taloja, Yerawada, Nashik and Aurangabad central jails and in a juvenile correctional facility in Nashik. The government had given extension up to January this year, which was already over and therefore the further extension of MoU for its implementation was needed.

Walse-Patil said the MoU will help bring about radical change in the prisoners. He has asked the department to prepare a policy to provide financial assistance and loans to the families of inmates for education, medical needs and marriages.

TISS, in its presentation, pointed out that marginalised communities, Muslims, dalits and adivasis, form the bulk of the prison population and there has been lack of institutionalised psycho-social services for them. According to it, trained social workers can play a critical role especially for the benefit of underprivileged prisoners.

“Critical areas include legal aid, contact with families, health services, educational and vocational training, post release support and linking with government schemes,” said TISS representatives.

TISS has suggested institutionalising the role of social workers in the prison system with the appointment of fulltime social workers in five central jails and one juvenile correctional facility, training and mentoring of social workers with technical support by Prayas, a field action project of TISS, third party evaluation at the end of the project and advocacy with home department to institutionalise social workers in prisons.

During the first phase, TISS said 18,367 prisoners benefitted from health camps, including quality medical supplies and follow up, 18,872 phone calls made to families of prisoners that helped facilitate rehabilitation of prisoners in society and nearly 7,525 prisoners received legal aid service, of which 2,100 were released via various legal procedures.

Further, various skill-based training was provided to juvenile correctional facility inmates and 50 per cent got jobs post release. A permanent dental unit was set up in Taloja Central Prison, benefitting 3,000 prisoners with dental services twice a week. Nearly 380 children of prisoners received education support and 65 children institutionalised in children homes. Moreover, mulaqats were facilitated for 2,198 prisoners.

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