and seeking from them a bond and assurance of maintaining the peace and tranquility during the poll period, comes the news that in the past year four prisoners released on parole and furlough have not surrendered to the jail authorities. What about these four men who are on the loose? They can’t be issued notices as their whereabouts are unknown, but they too have the potential of creating trouble during the election period.
It is obvious that the prisoners have been taking advantage of the system that allows them to leave the prison and spend time in society and with family. It has to be understood that while furlough, under the prison rules, is a matter of right, parole is not and can be denied. Under the system, every prisoner has the right to furlough so as to maintain his family and social ties and also so that he is not continuously subjected to a life in prison. Periodically he is released to meet with family and spend some time with them. An application for parole on the other hand can be denied if the authority finds that there are grounds that the release of the prisoner would not be in the interest of society or even of the prison administration.
Strangely some of the prisoners were released at various times in the past also, one of them being released twice in 2017 and thrice in 2018 and now again in 2019, when he did not return. This was the seventh time that he had been released since 2016 either on parole or furlough. Another one has been out for 11 months as he was released on April 28, 2018 and due to return on May 18. He never did, just as some others who walked out of the jail on the promise of returning within the stipulated period, but never did.
The system needs to be strengthened to ensure that the prisoner returns. Currently, a prisoner released on parole or furlough is required to report to the nearest police station daily during the period he is out of jail. That’s a long 24-hour period during which the authorities have no knowledge of the whereabouts of the prisoner or of his activities. It is a period that is long enough to cross the State borders and disappear anywhere in the country. As two of those who have not returned since their temporary release are originally from Nepal, there is every possibility that they may have even crossed the international border back to their home country. While they need not be kept under surveillance, the local police must ensure that their whereabouts are known at all times.
For all purposes, this is an escape from jail and has to be treated as such. Under the prison rules they can be held in prison for a further two years. Statistics of re-arrests of prisoners, however, are low, not just in Goa but across the country too. An example is of the escape in December of the main accused in the horrific Betalbatim rape case who is yet to be found. He escaped while undergoing treatment at a government hospital. Ironically, while that escape was revealed, the non-return of prisoners on parole or on furlough is not made public, though it is an escape nevertheless.
With the entire police force now focused on maintaining the law and order during the campaign and the elections, there will be little time to search for the escaped prisoners. But the prison authorities must ensure that the escapes are not repeated.
