An 18 year-old boy from Saligramam stole a mobile phone at the insistence of his peers to get money and buy ganja. His father is a cab driver and his mother a domestic help. He was unaware of the gravity of the offence until being arrested. He was depressed and alone in the sub-jail after his family abandoned him.
R. Anusuya, a woman head constable, was deputed as a nodal police officer (NPO) to follow up with him. She took the initiative and reconnected him with the parents. Since the parents were reluctant, Ms. Anusuya approached the Tamil Nadu Legal Services Authority (TNLSA) to help him to obtain bail.
Upon his release from prison, the parents were still reluctant to take him in. But Ms. Anusuya convinced them by emphasising their role in the rehabilitation and reformation of their son. After a few days, the youth was taken to the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), where he underwent psychological and clinical assessments for drug dependency and was subjected to de-addiction treatment. Throughout his stay at the institute, Ms. Anusuya visited him regularly and encouraged him to cope up with the treatment. After thorough observation, he was discharged from the institute.
“Till date 62 juveniles and 222 first-time young offenders have gone through the PARAVAI programme, and post release, 13 juveniles have rejoined their school/colleges, 35 have obtained employment and 49 first-time young offenders have rejoined colleges, 35 placed in new jobs, 116 have been facilitated to rejoin their old employers”Shankar JiwalChennai City Police Commissioner
Even after this, the parents were still reluctant to take responsibility. The NPO counselled them and promised to ensure that their son’s further studies at an Industrial Training Institute. During the follow up, Ms. Anusuya noticed that the subject’s peer group was disturbing him. Again he was taken to TTK De-Addiction Centre, Adyar, for treatment. He was an inpatient for 15 days and showed no signs of dependency when he was discharged.
As promised, the NPO helped him secure admission to an electrician course at an industrial institute. He was provided with hostel facilities at the institute. Both the boy and his parents are happy about his rehabilitation.
Similar was the case of a 24-year-old youth who is an orphan and was raised at a government children’s home. After schooling, he came to a relative’s house in Pattinapakkam. As he did not have anyone to guide him, he landed in jail for his involvement in a theft. No relatives came to visit him. M. Parthiban, a police constable, was deputed as a NPO to follow up with him. The youth was released on bail with the help of the NPO and the TNLSA. Upon the youth’s release, the NPO secured him a job for a salary of ₹10,500.
All these services are done by the personnel of the Greater Chennai City Police under the project called the PARAVAI (Personality and Attitude Reformation Assistance Venture for Affirming Identity) programme, which is focused on the reformation of first-time, petty young offenders in the 18-24 age group and their reintegration into society thus preventing them from turning to a life of crime.
City Police Commissioner Shankar Jiwal said, “The PARAVAI programme is a six-stage process flow wherein the young offenders are followed-up from the time they are arrested and lodged in the Saidapet sub-jail and subsequently released on bail. The programme was officially launched in April. The NPOs nominated for each Assistant Commissioner range are tasked with ensuring that the youth undergo the six-stage process.”
Other stakeholders in this programme include the Prisons and Correctional Services Department, TNLSA, IMH, State Career Guidance Centre, Department of Social Defence and the non-governmental organisation PRISM.
Mr. Jiwal said each stakeholder had its own designated nodal officers who work in tandem to ensure that all first-time young offenders undergo the rehabilitation process. The TNLSA ensures that the youth in need of legal support obtain free legal aid both for bail and during the trial.
“Till date 62 juveniles and 222 first-time young offenders have gone through the PARAVAI programme, and post release, 13 juveniles have rejoined their school/colleges, 35 have obtained employment and 49 first-time young offenders have rejoined colleges, 35 placed in new jobs, 116 have been facilitated to rejoin their old employers,” the Police Commissioner added.
