Welfare of Prisoners’ Families in the Community
Educational and Developmental Support to Prisoners’ Children Living Back Home in the Community
- A Programme has been undertaken for integrated developmental support to children of prisoners living in community for mainstreaming and social reintegration.
- The National Legal Services Authority has adopted the programme for total support.
- The programme is also going to help reformation and correction of the convicts.
- Reputed NGO/Social Organisations are the partners for implementation of the programme.
- Individual sponsorship is being encouraged for admission of prisoners’ children in residential schools.
- On an initiative taken by Prisons Directorate, West Bengal, the Directorate of Social Welfare, Govt of West Bengal has issued orders for admission of 145 children in 2007 and 94 children in 2008 and 130 children in 2009 of the prisoners in different correctional homes of the State in the NGO Homes under Cottage Scheme for Care & Protection and fooding, lodging etc free of cost.
- The Prisoners’ Welfare Fund established vide No. WB/DTP/Pt.I/CPS/2008/58 will be used for extending educational support to prisoners’ children living in the community.
Education of the Children Accompanying Mothers In Correctional Homes
We are constantly making efforts for putting the children accompanying mothers lodged in different correctional homes of the State in reputed schools with hostel facilities with the help of NGOs. Seven such children have so far been admitted till date in the schools like R.K.Mission, Rahara, Holy Child School, Purulia, Cluny’s Convent, Kalimpong, Don Bosco Schools etc
Mainstream Schooling of Prisoners’ Children Living in Correctional Homes
The Supreme Court of India has very categorically stated in a landmark judgment in April 2006 in R.D.Upadhyay & State of Andhra Pradesh & Ors that a child shall not be treated as an undertial/convict while in jail with his/her mother. and accordingly we have been making arrangements for education of such unfortunate children inside the jail itself.
The question, however, is, do such children not have the right to mainstream education like the other children of India? After all we have adopted the ‘Sarbasiksha Abhiyan’ for the whole country sometime back. Also the Supreme Court of India has made it clear that children like Khukumani and Rakesh, who are forced by circumstances to accompany their parents to jail are not themselves prisoners.
We therefore, decided to implement this direction of the Supreme Court of India in both letter and spirit. We also asked the two mothers whether or not they would like to send the children to mainstream schools outside the jail. The mothers agreed.
July 22, 2008 was not only an important day in the lives of the two children Khukumani Khatun and Rakesh Mistry whose mothers were lodged at Alipore Women’s Correctional Home but also a historic day in the annals of jails of India as it was on this day that any child lodged in a jail set foot outside the Jail for going to a school like any other child and return
