About 40 per cent of the inmates are not guilty of any crime, says a reply from the office of the Director General of Prisons and Correctional Services to a query asked under provisions of the Right to Information (RTI) Act. Many innocent people have landed behind bars because circumstantial evidence turned against them, it says. Another significant section of innocent prisoners are volunteers recruited by political parties and other organisations to undergo jail term on behalf of the culprits. The conviction rate in Kerala is 65 per cent. 1,632 among the 4,663 prisoners are innocent. Among the under-trial prisoners, 98 are mentally challenged persons. Their trial would be started only when their doctors certify that they are fit for trial. Families of mentally challenged accused often refuse to get them on bail. These mentally challenged people can be considered innocent. There are 60 people in different jails under provisions of preventive arrest. As per law, they can’t be called criminals. So they too are innocent. There are eight children in different jails and two of them are living with their convicted mothers. Six are with under-trial mothers. They also come under the category of innocent in Kerala jails. Asked about the steps taken by the Director General of Prisons to get the innocent prisoners freed of charges, the information officer said the Kerala Prison Rules did not allow him to sort out innocent people and to release them. Freeing them is the prerogative of courts. Lawyers and social workers can play a role in it. |