May 05, 2008	Monday	Rabi-us-Sani 28, 1429

KARACHI, May 4: For the past one and a half years no prisoner has been released on parole as the matter to bring uniformity in parole rules and regulations across the country is under consideration of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, reveals the director of reclamation and probation.

However, parole officers continue with their job and maintain records of the prisoners who may be granted parole. They keep track of the convicts once released and also mark their monthly attendance.

With more than 5,470 prisoners in the central jail, 279 in the juvenile prison, 105 in women’s jail and the 17 children who are with them, and 2,750 in Malir Jail, Karachi has only one parole officer and one probation officer for all of them.The posts of seven parole officers and 11 probation officers have been lying vacant for the last two years. However, they could not be filled due to the ban on employment, which has been in place for 10 years. In a recently held seminar, Sindh Prisons’ Inspector-General Yamin Khan admitted the fact that prisoners were not benefiting from the provision of law due to the shortage of parole and probation officers in the province. He said about 300 to 400 parole and probation officers were needed for different jails in the province.

In other provinces, there is one probation officer and one parole officer in every district but the ratio does not suit Karachi keeping in view its large population and the number of jails in the metropolis. Probation and parole help keeping the population in prisons in check. Besides, the probation keeps away the first-time convicts from hardened criminals in jail and gives them a chance to return to normal life.

Criteria for parole

“If a person convicted and put behind bars in any case, except those in which awarded life imprisonment, has served one-third of the jail term and bears decent behaviour, he can be considered to be released on parole,” explains Abdur Rasheed, the only parole officer in the city.

In case of life imprisonment, a convict is required to have served a minimum of 10 years in jail to be considered for parole. Parole is a reduction in the punishment of the first-time convicts.

A parole officer reviews records of prisoners who may be released on parole and refers the case to his director through the assistant director. The case is then sent to the home minister who after consultation with all officials concerned as well as the jail administration decides on the matter. There are 21 cases with the parole officer of the city at the moment. None of them is that of a woman prisoner. A parole officer’s basic job is to review the record of conduct, regard, crime history in family, says the parole officer.

“Probation officer is basically assigned by court to observe and stay in contact with a convict in a petty crime like theft, and who had been released by court after getting his undertaking to abide by the law,” says probation officer Sohail Ahmed Khan.

The probation officer, who submits quarterly report regarding the cases in court, has 78 cases with him at present. “We visit the convict’s neighbourhood and investigate, see how he is doing in life, work and other things,” Mr Khan said. He observed that only four per cent convicts deviated from their undertaking, while others did return to normal life. Women and children were usually not released on parole as court already gave due consideration in awarding punishment to them, he said, recalling that he got only a couple of probation cases of female prisoners two years back.

Pay scales

Both the probation and parole officers in order to qualify for the job must be at least graduate in sociology or social work. Sources in the department said that there was a stark difference between the pay scale of parole and probation officers in Sindh and that of the other provinces.

“In Sindh, a parole or probation officer is hired in Grade 11, which means that initially he will be getting far less than Rs10,000, whereas after years of service he will reach Rs10,000. Also, the officer (probation in particular) has to travel from one place to another and there is a negligible allowance that he gets for it. While these officers are hired in Grade 17 and get Rs17,000 as the minimum salary in other provinces, which is quite unfair with the officers over here,” an official, seeking anonymity, said.

Reclamation and Probation Director Saleem Abbasi pointed out that there were seven vacancies for parole officers and eleven for probation officers in Sindh at present. However, he said, many people retired in the meanwhile and the vacancies piled up mainly because of the ban on employment.

“I do realize the need to hire more staff as at times assistant directors have to do work that is supposed to be completed by parole and probation officers,” he said.