We must welcome the idea of releasing prisoners who have shown good behaviour in the prison and deserve to be brought back to the community on parole. However, as I slumber in athirimathi, some thoughts float through my mind and I thought of listing them down.
1. Why are we releasing these prisoners ? Is it because they are going on hunger strike and we are scared that things may get out of control? If yes, then, we are indeed reinforcing bad behaviour and they will soon learn that in order to gain something they must always create problems. But I am sure this is not the basis for granting parole to who ever is going to be released. I am going to base my faith on the intergrity of the members of the new Maldivian parole board. Still, I am stuck with this question ,why are we releasing them now?Is it because the jails are full and we cannot afford to feed all them or they are being an irritant to others by constantly fighting for their rights and discrediting the system governing them?Ahem!!! I am sure I that this is not the case. OK. then, I will assume that parole board will assess them carefully based on acceptabel criteria prior to releasing them into the Community.
2. Do we have a post release management program for offenders? I assume from what I have read in the newspapers that the parolees will be in touch with officers. What exactly is the meaning of this ? What would be the role and level of supervision that would be involved? It is important to have parole officers who will engage in intensive and client specific supervision, where in they monitor whether they are lapsing into past criminal behaviours, are they interacting with criminal groups and gangs? Visiting drug spots...ets, are the families giving cues and distress signals??? The parole officers must be oriented and trained enough to do these things and supervision has to be specific, it cannot be supervision if just somebody makes a visit and sign a book saying they are in touch.
3. Do we know the readiness level of the families to have them back? Maldives does not have aftercare homes or community residential facilities or the means to house those who are released on parole, so that means they go back home when they are granted parole. So it is very important that families agree to have them back and are willing to provide a supportive environment for them.If there are family issues that may worsen for the individual released on parole or family situtions which can deteriorate due the person rejoining the family, this will lead to larger issues. So, we have to have a system of care where support is provided for the families.
4. What are they coming back to? Prison history creates an immediate social disadvantage . Those on parole need to find gainful employment and in Maldives, I know how difficult it is to get employment even for those who are brought back from drug rahabilitation programs. So this is a critical situation...we cannot afford to have already fragmented individuals to loitre aimlessly on our streets day in and day out. They must find respectable means of survival. So what do we do? I have a fantasy. A large Dhoani, leaving at dawn for fishing, our youth, our blood line healing under the sun, as they relearn the ancient art of fishing... our ancestors passed on to us and in the process take our fishing industry towards a new era.......Ahem.,....!!!
5.Who is going to monitor them ? I am sure there are lots of NGO's in our society determined to take part in the process of changing the path of crime, violence and drugs some of our youth have resorted to. Government can and must involve the private sector and expand their role in the rehabilitation and aftercare process. It can however, play the central role of being the focal point to monitor whether those who are involved stick to atleast a minimum standard of care chalked out by the government.
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