Collector M. Hari Narayanan on Sunday said that Mahatma Gandhi’s messages of peace and non-violence would go a long way towards reforming prisoners by guiding them towards self-introspection and repentance.
The Collector was participating in the Prisoners’ Welfare Day meet at the district sub-jail here to commemorate the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The jail staff and around 150 prisoners took part.
“Some unfortunate developments and circumstances drive people to resort to crimes, which over the course of time becomes a habit for many,” Mr. Hari Narayanan observed..
The Collector said that once prisoners are released from prison, it is also society’s responsibility to treat them with compassion and understanding, which would gradually lead to their transformation into productive citizens.
“The prison staff shall also take up the responsibility of giving the prisoners the required moral support, and impart them the wisdom and necessity of leading a peaceful and meaningful life after their release,” the Collector said.
Jail Superintendent Venugopal Reddy said that the prison has a capacity to accommodate 150 prisoners. “Apart from providing them nutritious diet as per the jail regulations, the prisoners also are given the benefits of health schemes of the State government. A six-bed barrack has been created on the jail premises for convalescing inmates,” he said.
Earlier, the Collector garlanded portraits of Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri on the jail compound and paid tributes to them.
The Collector later gave away prizes to the prisoners who took part in cultural and sports activities on the occasion.
