KARACHI: Seventy to 80 per cent of the inmates of the city’s four prisons are undertrial prisoners, many of them detained over minor and bailable offences, waiting for justice for a long time due to the slow nature of Pakistan’s legal system.
A speaker shared this at an event titled ‘A comprehensive training session for probation and parole staff and other relevant government officials on providing support to young people in prisons and under probation in Sindh’. The Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (Sparc) organized the programme on Thursday at a local hotel.
“There are approximately 9,640 inmates in the four prisons of Karachi ie Central Prison (4,218), District Prison and Correctional Facility at Malir (5,152), Women Prison (134), Youthful Offenders’ Industrial School Karachi (136). Of them 70 to 80 per cent of this population consists of undertrial prisoners including those who are detained under minor and bailable offences,” said Muhammad Kashif Mirza representing Sparc.
Highlighting efforts aimed at providing support to prisoners, he said the organisation in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme, Sindh Education Foundation and Sindh government was implementing a project focusing on the rehabilitation of young prisoners in District Prison Malir and Central Prison for Women Karachi. The intervention, he said, included market-based skill training and psychological counselling.
Home department additional chief secretary Dr Mohammad Usman Chachar said the government was reviewing the criminal justice system and taking steps to build capacity of the probation staff and other linked departments to improve support for youth.
Abdul Kabir Kazi representing the Sindh Education Foundation said the Youth Education, Employment and Empowerment Project being implemented in selected prisons would provide support to 15,000 youth in the province.
“The project also aims to serve the underprivileged segments of society. In addition, the foundation also intends to open 1,000 new schools as tasked by the chief minister,” he said.
Published in Dawn, January 30th, 2021
